Retention and Excretion of 203 Hg-Labelled Methylmercury in Rainbow Trout

Abstract

Elimination of 203Hg-labelled methylmercury by rainbow trout, studied by whole body counting, followed a bi-exponential equation. The biological half-time of methylmercury varied from 202 to 516 d, depending on the retained dose and water temperature. An increase in the concentration of protein-bound methylmercury caused a significant decrease in the biological half-time. Between 0.5 and 4?C the excretion rate of methylmercury was about 1.5 times longer (516 ? 83 d) than at 16-19?C (348 ? 78 d).