Tecidos musculares de tainhas (Mugil sp.) e robalos (Centropomus sp.) foram analisados por espectrometria de absorção atômica para determinar as concentrações dos metais cádmio, cromo, cobre, chumbo e zinco no músculo e avaliar os riscos a saúde humana resultante do consumo do pescado. Todos os indivíduos foram capturados por pescadores de subsistência na Baía de Vitória, um estuário brasileiro com numerosos lançamentos de efluentes não tratados de origem doméstica e industrial. Baseado na presunção que pescador de subsistência e consumidor local mostram pouca preferência (culinária ou outra) dentro de cada desses taxa, análises foram conduzidas, e resultados reportados, para gêneros em vez de espécies. Em robalos, as concentrações de cádmio, cromo, cobre e zinco aumentaram significativamente com o tamanho ou o peso. Em tainhas, o cromo diminuiu com o comprimento. Maiores teores de cádmio e chumbo e menores de zinco foram encontrados em tainhas que em robalos. Os teores de cádmio e chumbo foram significativamente mais altos em fevereiro (verão) que em julho (inverno). Cromo apresentou concentração acima dos teores admissíveis pela legislação brasileira em frutos do mar. Porém, o maior risco à saúde está provavelmente relacionado à concentração em chumbo, especialmente em relação ao consumo de pescado por crianças.

Muscular tissue from wild-caught mullet (Mugil spp.) and snook (Centropomus spp.) was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry to determine muscle contamination levels for cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc and evaluate risks to human health associated with seafood consumption. Fishes were captured by subsistence fishermen in Vitória Bay, a Brazilian tropical estuary with numerous outfalls of untreated industrial and residential sewage. Based on the premisses that subsistence fisherman and local consumer show weak (culinary or other) preferences within the taxa studied, analyses were conducted and results are reported for genera. Snook cadmium, chromium, copper and zinc concentrations were positively correlated with size or weight. Mullet chromium concentration decreased with size. Cadmium and lead were higher and zinc lower in mullet than in snook. Summer cadmium and lead concentrations were higher than in winter. Chromium presented concentrations consistently over the legal Brazilian limit for seafood. However, the greatest health concern was probably related to lead concentration, especially in respect to consumption by young children.

Heavy-metal concentration in sediment is an important parameter for identifying pollution sources and assessing pollution levels in aquatic ecosystems. In this context, the present study aimed at determining concentrations of heavy metals in sediments from the Vitória estuarine system, Brazil. Twenty nine stations were surveyed to assess the spatial distribution of heavy metals. The metals for silt-clay fractions (<63 µm) were analyzed through atomic absorption spectrometry. A discriminant analysis segregated the stations in four groups representing four areas within the estuarine system. The Espírito Santo Bay showed the lowest metal concentrations, while the Vitória harbor canal showed the highest. We concluded that concentrations of heavy metals reflect natural conditions and the contribution of human activities from sewage and industrial effluents. It was not possible to directly associate metal concentrations to specific pollution sources.