Contribution of suspended particulate matter and zooplankton to MeHg contamination of the food chain in midnorthern Quebec (Canada) reservoirs

Abstract

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) retained by continuous-flow centrifugation, suspended matter of 20-150 mu m diameter, and zooplankton exceeding 150 mu m were sampled in the LG-2 and LA-1 reservoirs and in four natural lakes in northern Quebec during June, August, and September 1992 and 1993. Inorganic Hg concentrations in the three compartments did not differ significantly between the reservoirs and natural lakes, but methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in SPM (mean of 0.05 ppm) and zooplankton (up to 0.84 ppm) from LG-2 were 7 and 5 times higher, respectively, than in the natural lakes. The MeHg bioamplification factors between SPM and zooplankton ranged from 4 to 9 in the reservoirs and natural lakes. MeHg concentrations in SPM reached a maximum during August and were positively correlated with organic matter content. High MeHg concentrations were observed in the SPM and zooplankton sampled in August in a small impoundment separated from LA-1 by the LA-40 dike, which had been flooded for about 1 year. These data suggest that methylation and transfer of MeHg from flooded soils to SPM and zooplankton are rapidly accomplished. The process involves the bioaccumulation of MeHg by phytoplankton and (or) the ingestion of suspended soil-derived organic particles by zooplankton.