US EPA

4974012 

Journal Article 

Mercury contamination in Lake Xolotlan (Managua) 

Lacayo, M; Cruz, A; Lacayo, J; Fomsgaard, I 

1991 

Hydrobiological Bulletin
ISSN: 0165-1404 

25 

2 

173-176 

English 

BIOSIS COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. Total mercury was measured in different compartments of Lake Xolotlan's (Managua) (Nicaragua) ecosystem viz., sediments, water, fish and men. Sediments from 18 localities at 5 depths inside the sediment (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 cm) contained an average concentration of 0.62 mug Hg| 0.46 at the surface, with extreme values of 0.16 and 1.8 mug g-1. The highest concentration was observed at 25 cm depth in front of the chlor-alkaly factory (ELPESA). This maximum is associated with the period of highest production of this factory. The highest mercury concentrations in water were also measured close to the discharge of ELPESA, VIZ. 787 mugry and 506 mugmeasured in the muscles of the most consumed fish were 0.63 mugguense, and 0.07 mug3) in C. citrinellum. The concentration in the liver was 0.79 mug. citrinellum. Human hairs (n=98) of fishermen and their families contained 5.03 mug2). The mean concentration measured in men was 6.22 mug 6.34 (n=58), and in women 3.39 mugrage merc