Evaluating Environmental Mercury Risk in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Mercury is an environmental toxin that contributes to neurodegenerative disease in humans and most significant levels in humans are attributed to the consumption of seafood. Strongylocentiotus purpuratus has been known to live for 70 years, which could lead to significant and possibly dangerous bioaccumulation levels of Hg. This study hopes to determine the rate of mercury absorbance in S. purpuratus, using Macrocystis pyrifera as an indicator of spatial variation. An absorption rate of CH₃Hg in S. pupuratus in the ocean environment needs to be established to consider S. pupuratus as a stable food source. This study utilizes thermal decomposition, catalytic conversion, gold amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Upon preliminary analysis of M. pyrifera in 13 samples the mercury levels show Hg levels at 0.00607 ± 0.00145 (µg/kg), comparable to a study performed in 2014 of M. pyrifera at 0.006 (µg/Kg). Samples for this study were also taken off the Southern California coast. There are no preliminary results to report on S. pupuratus at this time.  This study will obtain these samples in the next month.  A future study of this is needed to look at the rise of mercury over many years and compare this to sea urchin absorbance rates.