Trace elements intake in the Faroe Islands. III. Element concentrations in human organs in populations from Bergen (Norway) and the Faroe Islands.

Flameless as well as flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry were used for the analysis of six elements (calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, cadmium and mercury) in human organs (liver, kidney cortex and medulla, heart, pancreas and spleen) from 13 bodies from Bergen and 10 from the Faroe Islands. Samples were taken at autopsy and the organs selected were without pathological signs. All patients were born between 1899 and 1923. Element concentrations in the organs studied were comparable to previous studies, except for high mercury and selenium values in the liver, the kidney cortex and medulla of subjects from the Faroe Islands. The high mercury and selenium values may be explained by the high consumption of pilot whales by the Faroe Islands population.

Trace elements intake in the Faroe Islands. I. Element levels in edible parts of pilot whales (Globicephalus meleanus).

We examined the distribution of copper, zinc, selenium, arsenic, cadmium and mercury (total and methyl mercury) in samples of muscle, liver, kidney and blubber from pilot whales (Globicephalus meleanus) caught off the Faroe Islands in 1977 and 1978. The very high total mercury level in the mature pilot whale exhibited differences among tissues and was highest in the liver. The total mercury concentration increased with body size. With increasing body size the ratio of methyl mercury to total mercury was relatively constant in muscle and kidney, but it decreased in liver. The concentrations of total mercury in the tissues of immature whales were much lower than those of mature whales. Selenium levels increased with body size. Significant correlation coefficients were found between the total mercury and selenium in liver and kidney. Selenium was present in the kidney in molar excess relative to mercury, whereas the opposite was the case in the muscle tissue. High cadmium contents were found in kidney and liver. In muscle and liver no significant correlations were found between cadmium and selenium, but a weak correlation between these elements was recorded in the kidney.

Trace elements intake in the Faroe Islands. II. Intake of mercury and other elements by consumption of pilot whales (Globicephalus meleanus).

The long-term intakes of total mercury, methyl mercury and cadmium from eating pilot whale (Globicephalus meleanus) in the Faroe Islands have been estimated. The long-term intakes of both total and methyl mercury far exceed the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intakes (PTWI) recommended by WHO. For the general population The PTWI's are 300 and 200 micrograms mercury per person per week for total and methyl mercury, respectively. The calculated intake of methyl mercury in this study approaches the lower value (1200 micrograms/person/week) of the recognized critical level of methyl mercury intoxication in the general population. In the years 1980 and 1981 the cadmium intake from consuming pilot whale foods exceeded the PTWI by a factor of 2. The PTWI for cadmium is 400-500 micrograms/person/week. It is concluded that the general Faroe Island population should significantly restrict the consumption of pilot whale foods. Pregnant women probably should not eat pilot whale foods at all, as the critical levels for methyl mercury intoxication of pregnant women and fetuses are lower by a factor of 2-5 than for the general population.

Subcellular distribution of selenium in the liver from rats fed selenium from fish: selenocystine and inorganic selenite.

Four groups of rats of a normal selenium status were given different selenium compounds during a long-term feeding experiment (28 days). The selenium supplementations (per kg diet) were sodium selenite (1 mg), selenocystine (2 mg), and two different concentration levels of selenium from fish (0.1 and 1 mg). Differential pelleting of liver homogenates demonstrated that selenium was present in all the subcellular fractions, with a recovery of 55-60% in the cytosols. Gel permeation high-performance liquid chromatography of the cytosol fractions demonstrated the presence of protein-bound selenium at a molecular weight of 70,000 daltons. The subcellular distributions as well as the protein binding of selenium in the cytosols were identical in all dietary groups. This indicates a similar long-term liver metabolism of the four selenium compounds tested in the rat.

Comparative utilization of fish selenium and inorganic selenite by rats of normal selenium status.

Rats of a normal selenium status were fed diets based on fish (rainbow trout) as the main protein source. A 4-week experiment with three dietary groups (low fish selenium, high fish selenium and selenite supplementation) was performed, and the selenium absorption, excretion and retention were recorded. Samples of blood serum, liver, kidneys, testes, hairs, spleen, lungs, heart, brain and skeletal muscle were collected for analysis of selenium. Glutathione peroxidase activity was measured in the blood serum. A selenium supplementation of approximately 1 mg/kg (high fish selenium and selenite group) yielded a selenium retention of only 7% of the intake, while in the group with a dietary selenium concentration of approximately 0.1 mg/kg (low fish selenium group) the selenium retention was 50%, resulting in almost the same absolute selenium retention in all three groups. The liver and kidneys showed the highest accumulations of selenium, reflecting the participation of these organs in the excretion of surplus selenium. The highest relative uptake of selenium was recorded in the testes, which increased equally in all dietary groups. The selenium concentration in the other tissues investigated, as well as the glutathione peroxidase activity in the blood serum responded little to the selenium supplementations. These results showed that the selenium levels normally found in fish were sufficient to satisfy the need for this element in rats of a good selenium status, and that inorganic selenite was absorbed and excreted at a high rate already after 1 week.