The Total Mercury Concentration in Organs of Eurasian Magpies (Pica pica) and Common Woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) from the Warsaw Municipal Area

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The presence of pollutants, including heavy metals, in the environment is a threat to the health and life of living organisms. Mercury is an element widely distributed in the natural environment. It is released from natural sources, and due to anthropogenic activity as well. The present study analyzed the mercury content of liver, kidney, heart and muscle tissue in two species of birds from the Warsaw area, which were used to assess local environmental contamination with this metal. The results indicate that the tissue’s mercury content was at a low level that did not pose a health risk to the animals, and this finding is strictly associated with low environmental exposure. Considering the mercury content of the organs, they can be arranged in the following descending order: kidney > liver > heart > muscles. ABSTRACT: Mercury is a toxic element widely distributed in the natural environment, affecting animals’ health. It is released into the environment from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The present study analyzed the mercury concentrations in liver, kidney, heart and muscle tissue in two species of birds from the Warsaw area, which were used as bioindicators of local environmental pollution with this metal. The mercury content in the examined samples was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) utilizing automatic mercury analyzer type AMA 254. The highest mercury content was found in the body of Eurasian magpies, in which it was 0.025; 0.021; 0.006; 0.0037 and 0.029 mg kg(−1) of tissue wet weight for kidney, liver, heart, thigh muscles and pectoral muscles, respectively. In the case of common woodpigeons, the content of this metal was significantly lower, amounting to 0.007; 0.005; 0.002; 0.001 and 0.001 mg∙kg(−1) wet weight for kidney, liver, heart, thigh muscles and pectoral muscles, respectively. In light of data from the available literature, the values obtained should be considered low, not causing a risk to animal health. The results obtained indicate low environmental exposure to this element.