Heavy metal contamination in duck eggs from a mercury mining area, southwestern China

Objective Mercury (Hg) contamination in the environment around mercury mines is often accompanied by heavy metal contamination.Methods Here, we determined concentrations of chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and lead (Pb) in duck eggs from a Hg mining area in Southwest China to assess the contamination and health risk.Results Duck eggs obtained from the mining area exhibit higher concentrations of Cr, Zn, Sr, Ba, and Pb compared to those from the background area, with egg yolks containing higher metal levels than egg whites. Specifically, the mean Cr, Zn, Sr, Ba, and Pb concentrations of duck eggs from the Hg mining area are 0.38, 63.06, 4.86, 10.08, and 0.05 mu g/g, respectively, while those from the background area are only 0.21, 24.65, 1.43, 1.05, and 0.01 mu g/g. Based on the single-factor contamination index and health risk assessment, heavy metal contamination in duck eggs poses an ecological risk and health risk.Conclusion This study provides important insight into heavy metal contamination in duck eggs from Hg mining areas.