Natural dispersion of mercury from Puhipuhi,northland, New Zealand

The mercury content of sediments and water in the Wairua (Wairoa) River, Northland, and of molluscs from the estuary of the river was determined to establish the extent of natural dispersion of mercury from deposits at the source of the river at Puhipuhi. The mercury content per gram wet weight of cockles, Chione stutchburyi, (0.032 ppm); rock oysters, Crassostrea glomerata, (0.081 ppm); pipi Paphies australe, (0.019 ppm); and green‐lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus, (0.017 ppm) was compared with that of specimens of the same species from other areas where presumably only background concentrations exist. Mercury could be detected in sediments at least 35 km from the deposits, but in water only up to about 8 km. Normal background levels were established for the soft parts and individual organs of the four species of mollusc investigated; of the molluscs found in the estuary of the Wairua River, only C. glomerata had anomalous amounts of mercury, but whether this indicates abnormally high mercury levels in the environment is unknown, because many other factors still need to be evaluated. Mercury levels of all molluscs were well below the generally accepted safety level of 0.5 ppm for fish for human consumption.