US EPA

3748919 

Journal Article 

Cyanobacterial Neurotoxin BMAA and Mercury in Sharks 

Hammerschlag, N; Davis, DA; Mondo, K; Seely, MS; Murch, SJ; Glover, WB; Divoll, T; Evers, DC; Mash, DC 

2016 

1 

Toxins
ISSN: 2072-6651 

MDPI AG 

8 

8 

English 

27537913 

10.3390/toxins8080238 

WOS:000382268800012 

Sharks have greater risk for bioaccumulation of marine toxins and mercury (Hg), because they are long-lived predators. Shark fins and cartilage also contain β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA), a ubiquitous cyanobacterial toxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Today, a significant number of shark species have found their way onto the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Many species of large sharks are threatened with extinction due in part to the growing high demand for shark fin soup and, to a lesser extent, for shark meat and cartilage products. Recent studies suggest that the consumption of shark parts may be a route to human exposure of marine toxins. Here, we investigated BMAA and Hg concentrations in fins and muscles sampled in ten species of sharks from the South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. BMAA was detected in all shark species with only seven of the 55 samples analyzed testing below the limit of detection of the assay. Hg concentrations measured in fins and muscle samples from the 10 species ranged from 0.05 to 13.23 ng/mg. These analytical test results suggest restricting human consumption of shark meat and fins due to the high frequency and co-occurrence of two synergistic environmental neurotoxic compounds. 

Conservation; Cyanobacteria; Methylmercury; Total mercury; β-N-methylamino-L-alanine; 2 amino 3 methylaminopropionic acid; marine toxin; mercury; methylmercury; beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine; diamino acid; methylmercury derivative; water pollutant; animal product; animal tissue; Article; bioaccumulation; calibration; controlled study; cyanobacterium; degenerative disease; fin (organ); high performance liquid chromatography; mass spectrometry; muscle biopsy; neurotoxicity; nonhuman; shark; ultra performance liquid chromatography; analysis; animal; body burden; classification; food contamination; human; liquid chromatography; metabolism; muscle; risk assessment; sea food; shark; spectrofluorometry; tandem mass spectrometry; water pollutant; Amino Acids, Diamino; Animal Fins; Animals; Body Burden; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chromatography, Liquid; Food Contamination; Humans; Methylmercury Compounds; Muscles; Risk Assessment; Seafood; Sharks; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Water Pollutants, Chemical