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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Pollution
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1447272
This article is part of the Research Topic Advances in Marine Environmental Protection: Challenges, Solutions and Perspectives View all 22 articles

Impacts of oyster farms on sediment-associated mercury and methylmercury concentrations and health risks in an estuarine, mangrove forest, Zhanjiang Bay, China

Provisionally accepted
Zike Zhao Zike Zhao Chunliang Chen Chunliang Chen *Mengqian Feng Mengqian Feng *
  • Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The release of mercury (Hg) in response to human activities raises concerns about its potential ecological and human health effects. Hg cycling by measuring the concentrations of, and controls on, the spatial distribution of total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in high-tidal zone (HTZ) and mid-tidal zone (MTZ) sediments of a mangrove forest (MF) and oyster farm (OF) was examined in northwestern Zhanjiang Bay. Concentrations of both THg and MeHg ranged between 20.0-104.0 ng/g and 0.011-0.277 ng/g in the sediments, respectively. The highest methylation potentials within the MF and OF were in sediments located approximately 10-15 cm below the surface. MeHg in the HTZ of the OF was likely derived from exogenous inputs as Hg methylation appears limited. A risk assessment of MeHg during the anthropogenic disturbance of this estuaries conducted on individuals eating oysters demonstrated that health risks are low.

    Keywords: hg, MeHg, Methylation potential, mangrove forest, Oyster farm, sediment

    Received: 11 Jun 2024; Accepted: 15 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhao, Chen and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Chunliang Chen, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China
    Mengqian Feng, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China

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