Report on research activities carried out for determination of Cadmium and Arsenic in tissues of different cetacean species

Abstract

Concentrations of Cd and As were determined in organs and tissues (muscle, heart, kidney, lung and liver) of two cetacean species (Stenella coeruleoalba and Truncatus truncatus) stranded along the Italian coasts during the period 2000–2009. Significant differences were found between Cd concentrations in the different analyzed tissues. Particularly, the kidney shows the highest concentrations of Cd in all analyzed specimens, followed by the liver. The heart shows the highest As concentrations with respect to the other tissues analyzed. Specimens of S. coeruleoalba show higher Cd concentrations in their tissue than specimens of T. truncatus, probably because of a higher proportion of squid in their diet