Åkerblom, Staffan
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
The variability of mercury (Hg) levels in Swedish freshwater fish during almost 50 years was assessed based on a compilation of 44 927 observations from 2881 waters. To obtain comparable values, individual Hg concentrations of fish from any species and of any size were normalized to correspond to a standard 1-kg pike [median: 0.69 mg kg(-1) wet weight (ww), mean +/- SD: 0.84 +/- 0.67 mg kg(-1) ww]. The EU Environmental Quality Standard of 0.02 mg kg(-1) was exceeded in all waters, while the guideline set by FAO/WHO for Hg levels in fish used for human consumption (0.5-1.0 mg kg(-1)) was exceeded in 52.5 % of Swedish waters after 2000. Different trend analysis approaches indicated an overall long-term decline of at least 20 % during 1965-2012 but trends did not follow any consistent regional pattern. During the latest decade (2003-2012), however, a spatial gradient has emerged with decreasing trends predominating in southwestern Sweden.
Keywords
Mercury; Freshwater; Environmental Quality Standard; Trend analysis
Published in
AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
2014, volume: 43, number: 1, pages: 91-103
Publisher: SPRINGER
SLU Authors
Meili, Markus
- Stockholm University
Sonesten, Lars
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Associated SLU-program
Organic risk substances and metals (until May 2010)
Non-toxic environment
Use of FOMA data
Global goals (SDG)
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Health and Occupational Health
Environmental Sciences
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0564-1
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/65083