Interim report of the HELCOM CORESET project

3.6. Lead, Cadmium and Mercury in fi sh and shellfi sh
General information
Author: Martin M. Larsen
Acknowledged persons:
Anders Bignert, Elin Boalt, Anna Brzozowska, Galina Garnaga,
Michael Haarich, Jenny Hedman, Ulrike Kamman, Thomas
Lang, Kari Lehtonen, Jaakko Mannio, Rita Poikane, Rolf Schneider,
Doris Schiedek, Jakob Strand, Joanna Szlinder-Richert,
Tamara Zalewska
General properties
Metals are naturally occurring substances that have been used by humans since the iron age. The metals
Cd, Pb and Hg are the most toxic and regulated metals today, and have no biological function. Mercury is
bioaccumulated, mainly in its organic form (Methyl-mercury) and due to high evaporation pressure can be
transported from soil to the Baltic, and concentrate in the arctic.
Main impacts on the environment and human health
Lead and mercury have been connected to impaired learning curves for children, even at small dosage.
Lead can cause increased blood preasure and cardio-vaskular problems in adults. Acute metal poisoning
generally results in vomiting. Long term exposures of high levels of lead and mercury can affect the neurological
system. Mercury can lead to birth defects as seen in Minimatta bay among fi shermen in a mercury
polluted area, and also after ingestion of methylmercury treated corn in Iran. Cadmium is concentrated in
the kidney, and can result in impaired kidney function, and cadmium can exchange for calcium in bones
and produce bone fractures (Itai-Itai disease).
The HELCOM thematic assessment of hazardous substances (HELCOM 2010) showed high concentrations
of mercury and cadmium in biota and sediment all over the Baltic Sea. Lead was not assessed.
Status of the indicator on international priority lists and other policy relevance
Mercury and cadmium are included in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. All the three metals are included
in the EU WFD (Pb and Cd in water, Hg in biota) and EU shellfi sh directive in shellfi sh. Part of EU food
directives, limits set in a range of fi sh species, shellfi sh and other seafood. In the OSPAR CEMP to be measured
on a mandatory basis in fi sh, shellfi sh and sediment (OSPAR 2010).
Status of restrictions, bans or use
All three metals have been used for centuries, but in the last decades have been banned for most uses.
Today, cadmiums and mercurys main use is in rechargeable batteries, and for mercury low energy light
sources. Main source of all three metals are burning of fossile fuels. The air deposition is mainly long range
transport from outside the Baltic Sea catchment area (60-84%). Sources of mercury was use in amalgams
for dentist, reduced by installing mercury traps in sinks and generally reducing amalgams in dental works,
as electrodes in paper bleaching, in thermometers and mercury switches and a range of other products
that have been faced out. Current legal use include batteries and low energy light sources. For lead, the
main source was leaded fuels until their ban in Europe in the 1990ies. Both cadmium and lead have hotspots
in connection with metal processing facilities, and cadmium is coexisting with all zinc ores, and typically
present at levels of 0,5- 2% in the fi nal products. Weathering of outdoor zinc-products thus leads to
cadmium pollution. Current legal use of cadmium includes rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries and for lead car
batteries.
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