In the proximities areas of two indigenous settlements with antecedents in auriferous mining, located in the margins boundaries of the rivers Paragua (El Casabe) and Caroni (El Plomo), the capture of habitual consumption fish was practiced by its settlers and the muscle weave total mercury content was determined to them by the atomic absorption technique, cold steam. To the obtained values, the Sperman test was applied not being correlation between the total mercury with the stature and the weight, while the Mann-Whitney test (Wilcoxon) revealed no significant differences in El Casabe, comparing the mercurial content of the omnivorous-herbivores species with piscivorous, omnivorous, insectivorous and detritivorus and the insectivorous with the omnivorous, although there were differences when comparing the detritivorus with piscivorous, omnivores and insectivores, as well as between insectivorous and piscivorous and omnivorous with piscivorous. In El Plomo were significant differences between piscivorous and detritivorus. Of the total analyzed species, six (46,13%) showed average values of total mercury over 0,5 mu g/g (OMS/FAO) and, in similar species, these values were superiors in El Plomo related to the observed ones in El Casabe.Original Abstract: En las proximidades de dos poblados indigenas con antecedentes en mineria aurifera, situados en las margenes de los rios Paragua (El Casabe) y Caroni (El Plomo), se practico la capture de peces de consumo habitual por sus pobladores y se les determino el contenido de mercurio total en tejido de musculos mediante la tecnica de absorcion atomica, vapor en frio. A los valores obtenidos se les aplico el test de Sperman no encontrandose correlacion entre las concentraciones de mercurio total con la talla y el peso. La prueba de Mann-Withney (Wilcoxon) no revelo diferencias significativas en El Casabe, al comparer el contenido mercurial de las especies omnivoras-herbivoras con las piscivoras, omnivoras, insectivoras y detritivoras y entre las insectivoras y las omnivoras, aunque si hubo diferencias al comparer las detritivoras con las piscivoras, omnivoras e insectivoras, asi como entre las insectivoras y las piscivoras y las omnivoras con las piscivoras. En El Plomo hubo diferencias significativas entre las piscivoras y las detritivoras. Del total de especies analizadas, 6 (46.13%) mostraron valores promedio de mercurio total sobre 0.5 mu g/g (OMS/FAO) y en especies similares, estas cifras fueron superiores en El Plomo con respecto a las observadas en El Casabe.
Pollution Abstracts; Health & Safety Science Abstracts; insectivores; Food contamination; Seafood; settlers; Absorption; omnivores; Public health; Muscles; Mercury; Venezuela, Bolivar; P 6000:TOXICOLOGY AND HEALTH; H 12000:Epidemiology and Public Health