Mercury in hares organs (Lepus europaeus Pallas) in the vicinity of the mercury-contaminated natural gas treatment plant in Croatia

In the last two decades (1990-2008), as part of a comprehensive monitoring of the eco-system, hares were collected in the vicinity of the mercury contaminated natural gas production and treatment plant Molve, Croatia. Their organs (muscle, liver, kidney and brain) were analyzed for total mercury concentration by cold vapor AAS. The range of the median mercury concentration values (wet weight) in hares organs were 0.001-0.005, 0.007-0.045, 0.022-0.126 and 0.0006-0.015 mu g/g for muscle, liver, kidney and brain, respectively. The results of mercury measurements in hares organs during the period of last twenty years demonstrate a small but constant decline in concentration values. Comparing the results obtained in this study with results published in available data and literature on mercury concentration in hare's tissue it can be concluded that area investigated in this research belongs to low mercury contaminated region. Nevertheless, further eco-monitoring and mercury measurements in various hares organs are valuable and necessary and will be continued.