Mercury pollution in the estuarine region around Bombay Island

Quantitative estimation of mercury in sediments and organisms from two estuarine regions around Bombay is presented. These estuarine regions wherein effluents from majority of the chemical industries are let off, serves also as a source for sea‐food for a limited population around this region. Mercury analysis was done for two major seasons viz. post‐monsoon and pre‐monsoon. One of the regions (Thana Creek) showed higher mercury content in sediments and organisms than has been reported previously, showing, that there is a steady build up of this metal in the biota due to anthropogenic influence. The quantitative pattern of mercury in the organisms can be ranked as follows : bivalve > benthic fish > crab > prawn > gastropod > pelagic fish.