Evaluation of maternal transfer of heavy metals lead, zinc and cadmium from hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) breeders to hatchlings in Ommolgorm Island

In the present study, the accumulation of heavy metals (Pb, Zn and Cd) in blood and muscle, eggs and hatchlings of hawksbill were measured in July 2018 in Ommolgorm Island, Bushehr Province. In the breeding season, blood and muscle tissue from breeder samples were taken and then normal and abnormal eggs as well as hatchlings muscle were sampled. Normal eggs were divided into three parts including shell, albumin and yolk and abnormal eggs were divided into two parts including albumin and shell. After separating the samples and preparing for the measurement of heavy metals, the amount of heavy metals lead, zinc and cadmium were measured by ICP-Mass. According to the results, the highest bioaccumulation of heavy metals was related to zinc and then lead and the lowest was related to cadmium. The highest accumulation was in breeder blood, normal egg yolk and hatchlings muscle, respectively, and the lowest bioaccumulation was related to cadmium metal in these tissues. The highest amount of cadmium was observed in normal and abnormal eggshells. The present results showed that blood, yolk and eggshell are as a bioindicator for zinc, lead and cadmium, respectively, and the bioaccumulation of all three metals in breeder blood and muscle tissues and different parts of normal and abnormal shell as well as hatchling muscle was less than the WHO standard.