Mercury and selenium concentrations in the oysters Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis from coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and the risk assessment on human health

Mercury and selenium concentrations in the oysters Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis from coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and the risk assessment on human health | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mercury and selenium concentrations in the oysters Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis from coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and the risk assessment on human health Carlos H. Sepúlveda, Maria I. Sotelo Gonzalez, Manuel García Ulloa, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1795343/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The toxicity of mercury (Hg) in bivalves can be reduced when it is associated with selenium (Se) as mercury selenide, a stable non-toxic compound. Mercury and Se were seasonally studied (summer 2019-spring 2020) in the soft tissue of oysters Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis from four coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico. The higher Hg concentration (≈ 0.13 µg g −1 , wet weight) in both oyster species were obtained in summer−autumn 2019. Mercury level was similar among the coastal lagoons and did not exceed the limit established by the Norma Official Mexicana, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Drug Agency (< 1.0 μg g −1 Hg). The higher Se concentration (≈ 4.55 µg g −1 ) occurred in spring 2020 for both oyster species. Regarding Se/Hg molar ratios, they were above 1; the positive selenium health benefit value index suggested that Se concentration in oysters could reduce the potential toxic effect of Hg; and the hazard quotient for Hg (methylmercury) and Se in both species was below 1. Therefore, the consumption of S. palmula and C. corteziensis not represented a risk due to Hg ingestion. Continuous monitoring of the Se/Hg ratio is recommended in oysters from NW Mexico for a more precise assessment of human health risk. Figures Figure 1 Introduction Due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation in the environment, the pollution by mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) remains as a worldwide environmental issue (Driscoll et al. 2013; Santos et al. 2015; Ali et al. 2019). The emission factors of Hg and Se in the coastal ecoregions of Northwest (NW) Mexico are due to the combination of various natural sources (e.g., geological weathering, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, hydrothermalism, and fossil deposits), as well as anthropogenic activities (e.g., gold mining, coal combustion, deforestation, agriculture, aquaculture, and manufacturing industry) (Páez-Osuna et al. 2017). Due to their volatility, Hg and Se can be mobilized through continental runoff and atmospheric deposition, to areas far from their main source of origin (Schroeder and Munthe 1998). Eventually, these potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are accumulated in different reservoirs and subsequently biomagnified in top predators and humans (Acosta-Lizárraga et al. 2020). Mercury is a highly toxic metal without any known biological function; in particular, its organic forms, mainly methylmercury (MeHg), are the most toxic; in fact, it is responsible for various environmental and human health problems, even at low concentrations (Apeti et al. 2012; Driscoll et al. 2013; Niane et al. 2019). Among several harmful effects on human health, Hg causes mitochondrial disorders, lung-kidney damage, myocardial infarction, effects on the central nervous system (mainly in children), cardiovascular atherosclerosis (Ratcliffe et al. 1996; Jaishankar et al. 2014), and can cross the maternal placenta, for which this element is considered as teratogenic and mutagenic (Ask et al. 2002). On the other hand, Se is an essential metalloid that is mainly found in water, but due to its volatilization, also prevails in the atmosphere, soil, and plants (Tan et al. 2016). Selenium plays an important role in the formation of selenocysteine-rich proteins within the cells of most organisms; it also intervenes in brain function, growth, thyroid hormone metabolism, calcium regulation, and control oxidative stress in humans (Ralston et al. 2016). Recently, it has been documented that, due to its high affinity to form stable non-toxic Hg ̶ Se compounds (mercury selenide), without specifically modulating the absorption or excretion of Hg, the bioavailability of mercury toxicity can be reduced when Se/Hg molar ratio is ˃ 1 (Arcagni et al. 2017; Bergés-Tiznado et al. 2019; Delgado-Alvarez et al. 2020). However, this may also mean a deficit on the essential levels of Se that cause functional damages to the organisms (Acosta-Lizárraga et al. 2020). Besides, Se deficiency in human nutrition can lead to infertility (mainly in men) and diseases such as Keshán (heart muscle or myocardial involvement) and Kashin-Beck (osteoarticular involvement) (Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique 2008), while at elevated levels, it can cause selenosis, which is characterized by hair loss, misshapen nails, rashes, swelling of the skin, and severe pain in the extremities (Rayman 2012). Diet (food and water) is considered the main absorption route of essential and toxic elements for humans. The PTEs can accumulate to high levels through the consumption of certain food, such as shellfish (including bivalve molluscs) (Zhang and Wong 2007). Oysters, clams, and mussels are filter-feeder bivalves found in the second trophic level of aquatic ecosystems (Vaughn and Hoellein 2018). Specifically, bivalve accumulate PTEs from food, water, and sediments to concentrations that may exceed those of their environment (Jonathan et al. 2017). Zhou et al. (2008) documented that bivalves have been widely used as biomonitors, due to their tolerance of various environmental contaminants, wide geographic distribution, adaptability to environmental conditions, abundance, sessile/sedentary life, reasonably long-lived, and easy sampling, and identification, among others characteristics (Otchere 2019; Yap et al. 2021). The oysters Saccostrea palmula (Carpenter 1857) and Crassostrea corteziensis (Hertlein 1951) are distributed along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru and Panama, respectively (Lodeiros et al. 2020). These ostreids have been used to monitor the Hg concentration on the NW coasts of Mexico (García-Rico et al. 2010; Jara-Marini et al. 2013; Delgado-Alvarez et al. 2015; Ruiz-Fernández et al. 2018), from where they are extracted by local fishermen. However, this area is also recognized for its intensive anthropogenic activity (agriculture, mining and aquaculture), whose wastes are dumped in coastal reservoirs where oysters inhabit; consequently, it leads to a potential risk to human health, by their consumption (García-Rico and Tejeda-Valenzuela 2018). On the other hand, the knowledge on the Se dynamic in both oyster species is scarce. There is only one report that evaluates the presence of Se in the oysters C. gigas and C. virginica from the San Francisco Bay (California, USA) (Okazaki and Panietz 1981), and no information on the Se/Hg molar ratio in oysters (Scopus 2022) is available. Within this context, the purpose of this work was to determine the seasonal concentrations of Hg and Se in soft tissue of S. palmula and C. corteziensis from four coastal lagoons of NW Mexico and evaluate the possible human health risk by its consumption. It is hypothesized that the Hg and Se concentrations of the oysters do not represent a risk for the environment or for human health, since Hg concentrations are below the maximum permissible limits (MPL), according to legislations. Materials And Methods Oyster samplings were carried out seasonally (summer 2019 to spring 2020) in ten sites distributed within four coastal lagoons of NW Mexico: Altata (AL, three sites: AL1, AL2, and AL3), Macapule (ML, two sites: ML4 and ML5), Navachiste (NL, three sites: NL6, NL7, and NL8), and El Colorado (ECL, two sites: ECL9 and ECL10) (Fig. 1 ). However, oyster species did not coexist at all sampling sites; therefore, S. palmula ( n = 2520) was collected in six sites and C. corteziensis ( n = 3780) in nine sites. From each site and by species, 105 oysters (72.15 ± 4.95 and 73.57 ± 5.31 mm average size for S. palmula and C. corteziensis , respectively) were collected (75 for Hg and Se analysis and 30 for condition index determination, CI). The oysters were detached from the mangrove roots by hand, placed in metal-free polyethylene bags and transported on ice to the laboratory, where they were cleaned, measured (mm), weighed (g), and chipped (Frías-Espericueta et al. 2018 ). The CI was determined using the equation proposed by Walne and Mann ( 1975 ): CI = soft tissue dry weight/shell dry weight × 1000. ////Insert Fig. 1 //// In the laboratory, the oyster soft tissue samples were lyophilized (Labconco, Kansas City, MO, USA) at low temperature (-85°C) and high vacuum (0.035 mBar) for 96 h; then, they were ground in a Teflon mortar, homogenized by quartering, and the water content (%) was determined. Two ~ 1.0 g aliquots of each sample were predigested (~ 12 h) at room temperature with 10 mL of concentrated nitric acid (HNO 3 , trace metal analyses J.T. Baker) in PTFE vessels (Savillex, 60 mL capacity). Digestion was performed on a heating plate (Barnstead) for 4 h at 120°C; subsequently, each sample was diluted with deionized water to a final volume of 50 mL and stored in polyethylene containers (MESL 1997 ). Total Hg was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) coupled to a cold vapor generator (Perkin-Elmer, Analyst 100, coupled MHS 15) and a 253.5 nm cathode lamp (Muñoz-Sevilla et al. 2017 ); whereas total Se quantification was analyzed by AAS in a graphite furnace, using a Perkin-Elmer AAnalyst 800 instrument with Zeeman correction effect and a 196 nm cathode lamp (Acosta-Lizárraga et al. 2020 ). The precision of the analytical method and the results were validated by using certified reference material (DOLT-5®; National Research Council Canada, NRCC, USA), with recovery percentages of 116.76 ± 4.46 and 90.29 ± 1.90% for Hg and Se ( n = 10 for both elements), respectively. Analytical blanks were used to check samples for possible contamination, and all materials used in the sampling and in the laboratory were acid washed (Moody and Lindstrom 1977 ). The detection limits (two times the standard deviation of a blank) were 0.002 and 0.013 µg g − 1 for Hg and Se, respectively. The coefficient of variation for duplicate samples was < 7.67%. Mercury and Se concentrations are expressed as µg g − 1 wet weight (ww, 80.74 ± 1.60% moisture content was used for all samples). The Se/Hg molar ratio in the oysters was calculated according to Burger and Gochfeld ( 2013 ), dividing the concentration of the element by its molecular weight (78.96 and 200.59 g mol − 1 for Se and Hg, respectively). The Se health benefit value (HBV Se ) was calculated with the equation proposed by Ralston et al. ( 2016 ): $${\text{HBV}}_{\text{Se }}\text{=}\left(\frac{\left(\text{Se – Hg}\right)}{\text{Se}}\right)\text{× }\left(\text{Se + Hg}\right)$$ For the estimation of HBV Se , the element concentration is presented as µmol kg − 1 ww. A positive HBV Se value is considered healthy, while a negative value indicates health risks associated with Hg exposure; the magnitude of the value means the degree of surplus or deficit of Se, related to the consumption of oysters (Ralston et al. 2016 ). The hazard quotient (HQ = EWI/RfD) was used to assess the potential non-cancinogenic risk to human health from consumption of S. palmula and C. corteziensis , due to the level of exposure to Hg and Se (Newman and Unger 2002 ). Where EWI and RfD are the estimated weekly intake and the reference dose of the contaminant (µg g − 1 body weight day − 1 ); RfD Hg = 0.0005 (FDA 2006 ); RfD MeHg = 0.0001 (US EPA 2001 ); RfD Se = 0.005 (US EPA 1991). According to the standard of US EPA ( 2000 ), values of HQ ≤ 1 suggests that adverse health effects are unlikely. Estimated weekly intake was calculated as EWI = C × I/W, where C and I is the mean PTEs concentration (µg g − 1 ) and I the apparent weekly consumption (0.49 kg person − 1 year − 1 = 9.39 g person − 1 week − 1 ; CONAPESCA 2015 ) of the oysters. Average body weights (W) of the general population (70 kg for adult men, 60 kg for adult women, and 16 kg for five year-old children) were included in the analysis. For this study, the hazard index (HI) was calculated as the sum of the HQ for each studied PTEs (HI < 1 indicated no risks to human health) (Newman and Unger 2002 ). The maximum consumption of oysters per week (MCOW = PTIW/[Hg] j ) of Hg was established, where [Hg] j is the oysters Hg concentration (µg g − 1 ). The provisional tolerable intake per week (PTIW) for adult men and adult women, or children is 4.0 and 2.45 µg kg − 1 body weight week − 1 , respectively (JECFA 2010 ). The value of MCOW is expressed in g of oyster intake week − 1 per capita (kg). Since the contribution of MeHg to total Hg is commonly found between 16.20% and 62.10% in oysters (Claisse et al. 2001 ; Pan and Wang 2011 ; Apeti et al. 2012 ), a conversion of total Hg to MeHg was made by adjusting to 39.15%, as proposed by Delgado-Alvarez et al. ( 2015 ). Likewise, the MCOW was calculated for MeHg, using the PTIW for adult men (1.6 µg kg − 1 body weight week − 1 ; EFSA 2012) and pregnant women, lactating women, or children (0.98 µg kg − 1 body weight week − 1 ; JECFA 2010 ). Normality and homoscedasticity of data were analyzed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Bartlett tests, respectively. Comparisons of the biometric data of oysters and average concentrations of Hg and Se among the coastal lagoons, sampling sites, and seasons of the year, were assessed by ANOVA’s test. Correlations between the concentrations of Hg, Se, and the molar ratios (Se/Hg) with the size, total weight, and CI of oysters were estimated through a Pearson correlation analysis ( r p ). The differences between the content of Hg and Se in S. palmula and C. corteziensis were detected with the Student's t test for independent variables. The level of significance was α = 0.05 for all statistical analyzes (Zar 2010 ), which were performed using the STATISTICA 7 software package (StatSoft, Tulsa, OK, USA). Results And Discussion Size, total weight, and CI of S. palmula ( n = 2520) and C. corteziensis ( n = 3780) collected in the four coastal lagoons (NW Mexico), are presented in Table 1 . The annual mean value of the shell size in both species were similar ( p > 0.05) among the sampling sites. Total weight of S. palmula (35.19 ± 7.64 g) and C. corteziensis (49.11 ± 7.97 g) were higher at the ECL9 and NL7 sites, respectively; while the CI in both species of oysters was higher in ML (50.23 ± 17.05 and 51.04 ± 16.61 for S. palmula and C. corteziensis , respectively) ( p < 0.05, Table 1 ). Table 1 Annual mean and standard deviation of size (mm), total weight (g) and condition index of oysters collected in four coastal lagoons in Northwest Mexico Site Size Total weight Condition index Min–Max Mean ± SD Min–Max Mean ± SD Min–Max Mean ± SD Saccostrea palmula AL1 62.63–79.05 70.50 ± 2.10 21.44–58.74 30.41 ± 4.24 a 17.07–87.76 37.78 ± 16.25 a AL2 61.59–81.74 70.45 ± 3.24 21.36–59.20 31.72 ± 7.64 ab 17.14–86.96 43.43 ± 17.18 ab ML5 60.61–80.08 72.80 ± 3.41 21.60–62.66 34.89 ± 7.85 c 17.24–85.37 50.23 ± 17.05 c NL6 60.14–78.73 71.19 ± 4.57 21.00–50.05 33.38 ± 6.66 bc 17.54–77.72 42.95 ± 17.85 ab NL8 60.80–84.59 72.99 ± 4.24 21.20–42.80 31.21 ± 6.29 ab 19.51–87.53 46.21 ± 17.03 b ECL9 61.21–82.92 72.59 ± 2.52 21.55–54.70 35.19 ± 7.64 c 19.35–88.57 43.31 ± 14.67 ab Total NS 71.75 ± 3.58 NS 32.80 ± 7.05 NS 43.32 ± 16.63 Crassostrea corteziensis AL2 60.17–90.31 74.17 ± 4.95 27.10–65.10 46.08 ± 8.10 bc 19.34–84.58 41.48 ± 16.97 ab AL3 62.40–85.74 74.24 ± 3.48 26.70–66.50 47.18 ± 7.63 cd 20.56–86.54 47.54 ± 15.43 bc ML4 60.63–82.10 74.77 ± 3.60 32.00–58.60 43.16 ± 6.40 ab 24.79–87.56 51.04 ± 16.61 c ML5 60.54–88.09 72.02 ± 4.51 26.90–60.20 43.11 ± 7.81 a 17.09–88.24 43.46 ± 18.61 ab NL6 63.76–89.87 71.86 ± 3.78 31.80–63.40 42.71 ± 6.01 a 17.94–80.65 42.03 ± 15.68 ab NL7 60.70–87.20 72.81 ± 3.78 29.90–68.20 49.11 ± 7.97 d 22.15–76.92 43.25 ± 11.85 ab NL8 63.68–81.02 72.13 ± 3.41 31.00–57.90 43.25 ± 6.01 ab 21.05–88.50 44.84 ± 16.22 abc ECL9 62.70–91.11 72.85 ± 4.39 32.10–66.10 48.06 ± 8.19 cd 17.65–86.42 40.68 ± 14.37 a ECL10 64.69–80.83 73.15 ± 2.44 31.20–58.40 48.07 ± 7.10 cd 22.90–88.04 46.00 ± 16.66 abc Total NS 73.10 ± 3.95 NS 45.64 ± 7.67 NS 44.48 ± 16.17 Min minimum, Max maximum, SD standard deviation, NS not specified, AL Altata lagoon, ML Macapule lagoon, NL Navachiste lagoon, ECL El Colorado lagoon. Column with different superscript letters denotes significant differences ( p < 0.05) between the sampling sites and oyster species ////Insert Table 1 //// The total Hg concentrations in the soft tissue of S. palmula and C. corteziensis presented an interval between 0.03–0.16 and 0.02–0.17 µg g − 1 (wet weight), respectively. This interval is comparable to that found by Delgado-Alvarez et al. ( 2015 ) in NW Mexico and by Ordiano-Flores et al. ( 2012 ) in Villa Clara, Cuba. In most of the sampling sites, the higher and lower seasonal mean concentrations of Hg were respectively recorded in summer − autumn 2019 and winter − spring 2020 ( p < 0.05, Table 2 ). Regarding the seasonal influence, Páez-Osuna and Osuna-Martínez ( 2015 ) and Muñoz-Sevilla et al. ( 2017 ) reported higher concentrations of Hg in C. corteziensis , S. palmula , and C. gigas , respectively, during the rainy season (summer–autumn), which were related to continental runoff from the intensive and vast agricultural areas that reach the coastal lagoons with increased wet deposition. Frías-Espericueta et al. ( 2018 ) also reported higher Hg concentrations in C. corteziensis collected in the Urías lagoon (NW Mexico) in November 2012 (autumn). In this study, a similar trend occurs since the higher Hg level in both oyster species was registered during summer–autumn 2019 (rainy season) (Table 2 ). In both oyster species, the level of Se presented an order of magnitude higher than those determined for Hg, coinciding with Okazaki and Panietz ( 1981 ) who analized the soft tissue of C. gigas and C. virginica , from San Francisco Bay (California, USA). However, the Se concentration reported by these authors was lower compared with the level found in this study (Table 2 ). This could be due to the bioavailability of this element in coastal lagoons and the differences in size and life stage of the organisms (Otchere 2019 ), among other factors. The Se content in S. palmula and C. corteziensis showed a seasonal variation, with intervals of 0.99–4.55 and 0.81–4.08 µg g − 1 , respectively. In both species, the Se showed a tendency to increase seasonally; the lowest concentrations were recorded in summer 2019 and increased in autumn 2019; subsequently, the level of this metaliod increased in winter 2020, and its maximum level was reached in spring 2020 ( p < 0.05, Table 2 ). Table 2 Seasonal mean concentrations and standard deviation of total mercury and selenium (µg g − 1 ww) in the soft tissue of Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis at the sampling sites (Northwest Mexico) Site Total Hg Total Se Summer Autumn Winter Spring Summer Autumn Winter Spring Saccostrea palmula AL1 0.15 ± 0.03 c 0.13 ± 0.02 c 0.09 ± 0.00 b 0.07 ± 0.00 a 1.34 ± 0.03 a 1.96 ± 0.06 b 2.87 ± 0.02 c 1.70 ± 0.03 b AL2 0.16 ± 0.05 c 0.14 ± 0.04 c 0.08 ± 0.02 b 0.04 ± 0.00 a 3.03 ± 0.02 b 2.33 ± 0.02 a 2.06 ± 0.01 a 2.94 ± 0.04 b ML5 0.12 ± 0.03 b 0.11 ± 0.02 b 0.04 ± 0.00 a 0.04 ± 0.00 a 1.17 ± 0.03 a 1.71 ± 0.03 b 2.16 ± 0.02 c 1.80 ± 0.03 b NL6 0.07 ± 0.02 c 0.08 ± 0.01 c 0.05 ± 0.01 b 0.03 ± 0.00 a 1.98 ± 0.30 b 1.79 ± 0.04 a 3.03 ± 0.23 c 2.86 ± 0.13 c NL8 0.15 ± 0.01 d 0.13 ± 0.01 c 0.04 ± 0.00 a 0.06 ± 0.01 b 1.97 ± 0.03 c 1.52 ± 0.03 b 0.99 ± 0.02 a 1.60 ± 0.03 b ECL9 0.13 ± 0.02 d 0.10 ± 0.01 c 0.03 ± 0.00 a 0.05 ± 0.01 b 2.33 ± 0.03 a 2.88 ± 0.01 b 3.60 ± 0.02 c 4.55 ± 0.02 d Crassostrea corteziensis AL2 0.16 ± 0.01 d 0.14 ± 0.03 c 0.06 ± 0.00 b 0.02 ± 0.00 a 1.69 ± 0.02 a 2.97 ± 0.04 b 3.05 ± 0.02 b 3.29 ± 0.04 c AL3 0.11 ± 0.06 c 0.10 ± 0.04 c 0.07 ± 0.02 b 0.03 ± 0.00 a 1.86 ± 0.03 b 1.35 ± 0.01 a 2.33 ± 0.02 c 3.05 ± 0.02 d ML4 0.10 ± 0.01 c 0.10 ± 0.00 c 0.08 ± 0.01 b 0.03 ± 0.00 a 0.81 ± 0.00 a 2.42 ± 0.13 c 2.11 ± 0.07 c 1.28 ± 0.08 b ML5 0.09 ± 0.01 c 0.07 ± 0.01 b 0.04 ± 0.00 a 0.02 ± 0.03 a 1.60 ± 0.02 a 1.62 ± 0.02 a 1.53 ± 0.11 a 2.88 ± 0.04 b NL6 0.06 ± 0.01 c 0.09 ± 0.01 c 0.06 ± 0.01 a 0.05 ± 0.00 b 1.86 ± 0.03 b 1.51 ± 0.04 a 2.87 ± 0.02 c 3.33 ± 0.02 d NL7 0.10 ± 0.01 c 0.11 ± 0.01 c 0.03 ± 0.01 a 0.04 ± 0.00 b 2.94 ± 0.07 c 2.41 ± 0.08 b 2.43 ± 0.06 b 1.17 ± 0.04 a NL8 0.14 ± 0.01 d 0.15 ± 0.02 c 0.11 ± 0.01 a 0.09 ± 0.02 b 2.21 ± 0.02 d 0.90 ± 0.02 a 1.08 ± 0.01 b 1.69 ± 0.04 c ECL9 0.12 ± 0.03 b 0.10 ± 0.02 b 0.05 ± 0.00 a 0.05 ± 0.01 a 2.05 ± 0.08 a 2.43 ± 0.12 b 2.59 ± 0.06 b 4.08 ± 0.05 c ECL10 0.17 ± 0.04 d 0.11 ± 0.01 c 0.06 ± 0.01 b 0.03 ± 0.00 a 2.10 ± 0.04 a 2.96 ± 0.05 b 1.93 ± 0.05 a 3.27 ± 0.03 c AL Altata lagoon, ML Macapule lagoon, NL Navachiste lagoon, ECL El Colorado lagoon. For Hg and Se, rows with different superscript letters denote significant differences ( p < 0.05) between sampling stations and oyster species ////Insert Table 2 //// The annual mean concentration of Hg for S. palmula (0.09 ± 0.04 µg g − 1 ) and C. corteziensis (0.08 ± 0.04 µg g − 1 ) was similar ( p ˃ 0.05) among the sampling sites (Table 3 ), which could be partially explained by the natural and continuous contribution of leaching from the soils-rocks and by waste from the mining which represent a key source of Hg (Cadena-Cárdenas et al. 2009 ). It has been reported that such wastes are transported along rivers and streams that originate in the Sierra Madre Occidental (an area rich in minerals) and, eventually, end up in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico at low concentration (Murray and Busty 2015 ). Since the colonial period until the beginning of the 20th century, the mining industry used approximately 200,000 t of Hg in the silver and gold extraction process, and it is estimated that just under half of that used Hg is still present in mine tailings (Delgado-Alvarez et al. 2015 ; Niane et al. 2019 ). The Hg used by the mining activity in the state of Sonora (the main gold producer in Mexico), is transported atmospherically to the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico and accumulated in the sediments and different trophic levels; in this way, its impact could reach areas with a low contamination level far from its sources of origin (Schroeder and Munthe 1998 ; Páez-Osuna et al. 2017 ). In addition, Hg levels in coastal lagoons may increase due to upwelling events and the continuous renewal of seawater (Páez-Osuna and Osuna-Martínez 2015 ). Another important source of this metal is the effluents from intensive agriculture in NW Mexico, since Hg-based fungicides are still used to control plants pests (Osuna-Martínez et al. 2010 ). Mercury can also reach lagoons due to various causes such as: continental runoff, untreated wastewater systems, paint waste, batteries, cement plant waste, and dental objects (Páez-Osuna et al. 2017 ). The bioaccumulation of Hg in S. palmula and C. corteziensis could be due to their benthic and feeding habits, since they filter large volumes of seawater (around 10 to 20 L min − 1 ) through the cilia, mantle and gills (Mazón-Suástegui et al. 2009 ), where the metal is suspended (Jonathan et al. 2017 ). Mercury is one of the most persistent chemical elements and can be distributed and accumulated in various tissues and organs of aquatic organisms; eventually, it can be biomagnified from lower trophic levels to humans (Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique 2008 ; Arcagni et al. 2017 ). Oysters live mainly attached to the roots of mangroves ( i.e. Rhizophora spp.) and on rocky surfaces, exposed and/or buried in muddy sediments (Lodeiros et al. 2020 ) with a high content of organic matter, which favors retention of metals, such as Hg (Rojas de Astudillo et al. 2005 ). Therefore, it is possible to infer that the sediments in the study area could be one of the most important routes of Hg accumulation in these bivalves (Sepúlveda et al. 2020 ). Despite the natural sources and anthropogenic activities that contribute with Hg deposition in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico, the Hg concentration in S. palmula and C. corteziensis was below the maximum permissible limit of 1.0 µg g − 1 (wet weight) established by the Mexican legislation (Norma Official Mexicana NOM-031-SSA1-1993), the World Health Organization (WHO 1982 ), and the United States Food and Drug Agency (FDA 2006 ), which indicates that the consumption of these species from the sampled lagoons does not represent a risk to human health with respect to Hg poisoning. On the other hand, the annual mean concentration of Se for S. palmula (3.34 ± 0.96 µg g − 1 ) and C. corteziensis (2.79 ± 0.89 µg g − 1 ) was higher ( p < 0.05) in ECL9 (Table 3 ). This site is located in one of the most contaminated areas by PTEs within the El Colorado lagoon (Páez-Osuna and Osuna-Martínez 2015 ), which is part of the Agiabampo-Bacorehuis-Río Fuerte Antiguo lagoon system and, which, receives the contributions of the Fuerte River and the runoff from the highly technical agricultural activities of the municipality of Ahome (~ 194,482.23 ha; SIAP 2020 ), municipal waste (~ 459,310 inhabitants; INEGI 2020 ) and shrimp farms (~ 12,639 ha; CESASIN 2020 ). Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique ( 2008 ) and Santos et al. ( 2015 ) mention that the aquatic environment can be contaminated by Se due to agriculture, urban drainage, mining waste, thermoelectric plants, oil refineries and metallic minerals. The Se/Hg molar ratio in the oysters varied among the sampling sites; the lowest value in S. palmula (48.76) and C. corteziensis (31.72) were observed in NL8, while the highest values (149.59 and 155.37) in ECL9 and AL2, respectively (Table 3 ). It has been documented that Se can neutralize the toxic effect of Hg, if its Se/Hg molar ratio is > 1 (Burger and Gochfeld 2013 ). Selenium intervenes in the Hg demethylation process through the selenocysteine protein, transforming the metal to its inorganic and less toxic form (Medina-Morales et al. 2020 ; Vega-Sánchez et al. 2020 ); this way, Hg can be excreted more easily through pseudofeces and spawning (Rodríguez de la Rua et al. 2005). The present study reports for the first time the Se/Hg molar ratio in S. palmula and C. corteziensis in NW Mexico, inclusive, in the distribution area of these two species (Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru; Lodeiros et al. 2020 ). The Se/Hg ratio was always greater than 1 in both oyster species, which can be explained by the low level of Hg found (Burger and Gochfeld 2013 ). These results are similar to the Se/Hg ˃ 1 molar ratios reported in different groups of organisms, as shrimps Farfantepenaeus californiensis and Litopenaeus stylirostris (NW Mexico) (Frías-Espericueta et al. 2016 ), the mahi mahi fish Coryphaena hippurus (Gulf of California) (Bergés-Tiznado et al. 2019 ), Pacific hake Merluccius productus (Gulf of California) (Acosta-Lizárraga et al. 2020 ), crustaceans like the crab Callinectes arcuatus (NW Mexico) (Delgado-Alvarez et al. 2020 ), and elasmobranchs like the shark Mustelus henlei (Mexican Pacific Ocean) (Medina-Morales et al. 2020 ). The value of the health benefit by Se (HBV Se ) (Table 3 ), indicates a benefit provided by a higher concentration of Se in comparison to Hg in the soft tissue of oysters. HBV Se values above 1 have bee reported for some species of fish ( Thunnus albacares = 64.54, Vinciguerria lucetia = 19.41, Lagocephalus lagocephalus = 298.40, and C. hippurus = 1.77), squids ( Dosidicus gigas = 12.82, Thysanoteuthis rhombus = 30.30, and Sthenotheuthis oualaniensis = 63.52), the crab Pleuroncodes planipes (13.26) (Ordiano-Flores et al. 2012 ; Vega-Sánchez et al. 2020 ); as well as the shark Carcharhinus falciformis (52.30; Bodin et al. 2017 ). Table 3 Annual mean concentrations and standard deviation of total mercury and selenium (µg g − 1 ww), molar ratio (Se/Hg) and selenium health benefit value (HBV Se ) in the soft tissue of Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis in Northwest Mexico Site Total Hg µmol Hg Total Se µmol Se Se/Hg HBV Se Saccostrea palmula AL1 0.11 ± 0.04 0.55 ± 0.19 1.97 ± 0.65 ab 24.92 ± 8.25 51.30 24.90 AL2 0.11 ± 0.06 0.52 ± 0.28 2.59 ± 0.47 b 32.81 ± 5.94 84.94 32.80 ML5 0.08 ± 0.04 0.39 ± 0.22 1.71 ± 0.41 ab 21.63 ± 5.18 79.56 21.62 NL6 0.06 ± 0.02 0.29 ± 0.10 2.41 ± 0.62 b 30.56 ± 7.89 126.66 30.56 NL8 0.09 ± 0.05 0.47 ± 0.26 1.52 ± 0.41 a 19.24 ± 5.13 48.76 19.23 ECL9 0.08 ± 0.04 0.40 ± 0.21 3.34 ± 0.96 c 42.29 ± 12.14 149.59 42.28 Crassostrea corteziensis AL2 0.09 ± 0.07 0.47 ± 0.33 2.75 ± 0.72 c 34.82 ± 9.10 155.37 34.81 AL3 0.08 ± 0.04 0.38 ± 0.19 2.15 ± 0.72 b 27.21 ± 9.17 117.69 27.20 ML4 0.08 ± 0.03 0.38 ± 0.17 1.66 ± 0.74 ab 20.97 ± 9.41 67.38 20.96 ML5 0.05 ± 0.03 0.27 ± 0.14 1.41 ± 0.35 a 17.83 ± 4.45 74.95 17.82 NL6 0.06 ± 0.02 0.31 ± 0.08 2.39 ± 0.85 bc 30.29 ± 10.78 107.36 30.29 NL7 0.07 ± 0.04 0.35 ± 0.20 2.24 ± 0.75 b 28.33 ± 9.54 103.03 28.32 NL8 0.12 ± 0.03 0.61 ± 0.13 1.47 ± 0.60 a 18.62 ± 7.62 31.72 18.59 ECL9 0.08 ± 0.04 0.39 ± 0.19 2.79 ± 0.89 c 35.31 ± 11.27 116.74 35.30 ECL10 0.09 ± 0.06 0.46 ± 0.31 2.57 ± 0.65 bc 32.50 ± 8.27 124.03 32.49 AL Altata lagoon, ML Macapule lagoon, NL Navachiste lagoon, ECL El Colorado lagoon. Column with different superscript letters denotes significant differences ( p < 0.05) between the sampling sites and oyster species ////Insert Table 3 //// As expected, there was no significant difference with the concentrations of the study elements between sizes and total weight of S. palmula and C. corteziensis ( p ˃ 0.05). Similar observations were recorded by Osuna-Martínez et al. ( 2010 ) for C. gigas and C. corteziensis from the Ceuta lagoon, Sinaloa. Acosta and Lodeiros ( 2004 ) reported that the highest concentrations of metals were proportionally related to the shell size of the clam Tivela mactroides . However, Collaguazo-Collaguazo et al. ( 2017 ) reported that small specimens of the clam Anadara tuberculosa , have the ability to bioaccumulate higher metals concentrations (including Hg) than larger clams. Spawning and body size of bivalves, can also influence the accumulation and variability of metals and metalloids in their tissues (Góngora-Gómez et al. 2017 ). In this study, specimens of S. palmula and C. corteziensis of similar sizes (72.15 ± 4.95 and 73.57 ± 5.31 mm, respectively; Table 1 ) were collected to reduce possible variations in the level of metals due to the size of the organisms (Sepúlveda et al. 2020 ). However, their body weight varied significantly with the seasons, which suggests that these values could be associated with reproductive cycle, as reported by Rodríguez-Jaramillo et al. ( 2008 )d ngora-Gómez et al. ( 2020 ) for C. corteziensis . This pattern has also been observed in other ostreids such as C. rhizophorae (Rebelo et al. 2005 ), C. virginica (Aguilar et al. 2012 ), C corteziensis and S. palmula (≈ Crassostrea palmula ) (Páez-Osuna and Osuna-Martínez 2015 ), and C corteziensis (Frías-Espericueta et al. 2018 ). In fact, the Hg concentration in S. palmula was slightly correlated with CI ( r p = − 0.29, p < 0.05), which agrees with that reported by Osuna-Martínez et al. ( 2010 ) for C. gigas cultivated in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico. No correlations of Se/Hg molar ratio were observed between shell sizes, total weight and CI in none of the ostreid species ( p > 0.05). A comparison of the Hg level in the soft tissues of oysters from several coastal lagoons in Mexico shows that, the interval of data found in this study (0.03–0.16 and 0.02–0.17 µg g − 1 for S. palmula and C. corteziensis , respectively ) are similar to most of the results reported in the literature (Table 4 ), but are lower than those found for C. virginica in the Términos lagoon (Gulf of Mexico), mainly affected by oil, agricultural and urban activities (Aguilar et al. 2012 ). Compared with other regions of the world, the level of Hg determined in S. palmula and C. corteziensis is similar to those reported for C. gigas and C. rhizophorae in Morocco (Maanan 2008 ) and Cuba (Olivares-Rieumont et al. 2012 ), but higher than those determined for C. rhizophorae in the Santos and Paranaguá estuary, Brazil (Torres et al. 2012 ), C. gigas in the Ebro Delta, Catalonia, Spain (Ochoa et al. 2013 )d virginica and C. rhizophorae in the Gulf of Paria, Venezuela and Trinidad (Rojas de Astudillo et al. 2005 ). However, the Hg concentration in this study was lower than those recorded for C. gigas in Minamata Bay, Japan (Eisler 1987 ) and in some coastal and marine regions of Italy where the Japanese oyster C. gigas is cultivated (Burioli et al. 2017 ) (Table 4 ). These differences could be due to the abundance of Hg in the continental crust (on mean it is higher than 0.056 µg g − 1 ) since the level of Hg in the world is not homogeneous and some regions are more enriched than others (Wedepohl 1995 ). Also, Hg concentration can vary among oyster species due to biological aspects, related to their metabolic activity, differences between sizes, and reproductive period (Singh et al. 2011 ; Jara-Marini et al. 2013 ). Table 4 Total mercury interval concentrations (µg g − 1 ww) in different oyster species from some coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and other worldwide regions Species Area (sampling year) Total Hg Author Coastal lagoons of NW Mexico C. corteziensis* Urías lagoon, Sinaloa (2006) 0.006–0.01 Jara-Marini et al. ( 2008 ) C. corteziensis Bacochibampo Bay, Sonora (2004–2005) 0.03–0.04 García-Rico et al. ( 2010 ) C. corteziensis* Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (NA) 0.03–0.11 Osuna-Martínez et al. ( 2010 ) C. gigas* Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (NA) 0.01–0.18 Osuna-Martínez et al. ( 2010 ) C. virginica* Términos lagoon, Campeche (NA) 0.08–0.40 Aguilar et al. ( 2012 ) C. virginica* Northern Gulf of Mexico, USA (NA) 0.006–0.10 Apeti et al. ( 2012 ) C. corteziensis* Tobari lagoon, Sonora (2009) 0.07–0.10 Jara-Marini et al. ( 2013 ) Crassostrea spp.* Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa-Nayarit (2010–2011) 0.02–0.05 Delgado-Alvarez et al. ( 2015 ) S. palmula* Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2008–2009) 0.04–0.15 Páez-Osuna and Osuna-Martínez ( 2015 ) C. corteziensis* Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2008–2009) 0.03–0.12 Páez-Osuna and Osuna-Martínez ( 2015 ) C. gigas La Pitahaya estuary, Sinaloa (2011) 0.003–0.04 Góngora-Gómez et al. ( 2017 ) C. gigas Navachiste lagoon, Sinaloa (2011–2012) 0.003–0.03 Jonathan et al. ( 2017 ) C. gigas* Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2013–2014) 0.03–0.14 Muñoz-Sevilla et al. ( 2017 ) C. corteziensis* Urías lagoon, Sinaloa (2012–2013) 0.01–0.05 Frías-Espericueta et al. ( 2018 ) C. gigas Coastal waters, Sonora (2010) 0.01–0.13 García-Rico and Tejeda‑Valenzuela (2018) S. palmula Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2019–2020) 0.03–0.16 This study C. corteziensis Coastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2019–2020) 0.02–0.17 This study Other worldwide regions C. gigas* Minamata Bay, Japan (NA) 2.00** Eisler ( 1987 ) C. rhizophorae* Channel of Santa Cruz, Brazil (1993–1994) 0.05–0.44 Meyer et al. ( 1998 ) C. tulipa* Benya, Ningo lagoons, Ghana (NA) 0.02–0.04 Otchere et al. ( 2003 ) C. rhizophorae* Gulf of Paria, Venezuela and Trinidad (NA) 0.002–0.01 Rojas de Astudillo et al. ( 2005 ) C. virginica* Gulf of Paria, Venezuela and Trinidad (NA) 0.002–0.01 Rojas de Astudillo et al. ( 2005 ) C. rhizophorae* Estuarine systems, Northeast Brazil (NA) 0.004–0.06 Vaisman et al. ( 2005 ) C. gigas Oualidia lagoon, Morocco (2004–2005) 0.02–0.21 Maanan ( 2008 ) C. rhizophorae* Villa Clara, Cuba (NA) 0.03–0.13 Olivares-Rieumont et al. ( 2012 ) C. rhizophorae* Santos and Paranaguá estuaries, Brazil (2008–2009) 0.02–0.07 Torres et al. ( 2012 ) C. gigas* Ebro Delta in Catalonia, Spain (2008–2009) 0.02–0.05 Ochoa et al. ( 2013 ) C. gigas Coastal waters, Korea (2009–2013) 0.006–0.02 Mok et al. ( 2015 ) C. gigas Coastal marine ecosystems, Italy (NA) 0.01–0.34 Burioli et al. ( 2017 ) *Calculated from dry weight, assuming 80% moisture. **Only the mean value was available. NA not available ////Insert Table 4 //// Recent studies highlight the importance of evaluating the potential risk to human health from the ingestion of PTEs contained in commercially important fishery products (including oysters), especially in cities and coastal communities dedicated to the capture and production of seafood, where the annual consumption of oysters is double or more (Frías-Espericueta et al. 2018 ) than established as national apparent consumption (0.49 kg person − 1 year − 1 = 9.39 g person − 1 week − 1 ; CONAPESCA 2015 ). The HQ values obtained in this study remained below the risk level (HQ < 1); therefore, the ingestion of Hg, MeHg and Se due to the consumption of S. palmula and C. corteziensis does not represent a risk to human health (Table 5 ). These results are similar to the studies by Delgado-Alvarez et al. ( 2015 ), Frías-Espericueta et al. ( 2018 ), and García-Rico and Tejeda-Valenzuela ( 2018 ), who reported HQ values below 1 in ostreids from NW Mexico. The HI values in S. palmula and C. corteziensis ranged from 0.09 to 0.69 and 0.07 to 0.62, respectively. In particular, Se in S. palmula (72.14%) and C. corteziensis (72.75%) was the metal that contributed the most to the calculated HI value, followed by Hg (27.86%) for S. palmula , and Hg (27.25%) for C. corteziensis . In addition, as a precautionary measure, we calculated that a 70 kg for adult man, a 60 kg for adult women, and a 16 kg for five year-old child could consume 2551, 1339, and 357 g person − 1 week − 1 , and 2289, 1201 and 320 g person − 1 week − 1 of S. palmula and C. corteziensis soft tissue, respectively, without risks to health (Table 5 ). Table 5 Hazard quotient (HQ) for Hg, MeHg, and Se (annual mean concentration; µg g − 1 ww), hazard index (HI) and amount of S. palmula and C. corteziensis soft tissue (g) that could be ingested per week (MCOW) Site HQ HI MCOW Hg MeHg a Se Hg MeHg a M W C M W C M W C M W C M W C M W C Saccostrea palmula AL1 0.04 0.05 0.18 0.08 0.10 0.36 0.08 0.09 0.33 0.12 0.14 0.51 2551 1339 357 2606 1368 365 AL2 0.04 0.05 0.18 0.08 0.09 0.34 0.10 0.12 0.43 0.14 0.16 0.61 2663 1398 373 2721 1429 381 ML5 0.03 0.03 0.13 0.06 0.07 0.25 0.07 0.08 0.29 0.09 0.11 0.42 3623 1902 507 3702 1943 518 NL6 0.02 0.03 0.10 0.04 0.05 0.19 0.09 0.11 0.40 0.11 0.13 0.50 4887 2566 684 4994 2622 699 NL8 0.04 0.04 0.16 0.07 0.08 0.31 0.06 0.07 0.25 0.09 0.11 0.41 2976 1562 417 3041 1596 426 ECL9 0.03 0.04 0.13 0.06 0.07 0.26 0.13 0.15 0.56 0.16 0.18 0.69 3530 1853 494 3607 1894 505 Crassostrea corteziensis AL2 0.04 0.04 0.16 0.07 0.08 0.31 0.11 0.12 0.46 0.14 0.16 0.62 2970 1559 416 3034 1593 425 AL3 0.03 0.03 0.13 0.06 0.07 0.25 0.08 0.10 0.36 0.11 0.13 0.49 3653 1918 511 3732 1959 522 ML4 0.03 0.03 0.13 0.06 0.07 0.25 0.06 0.07 0.28 0.09 0.11 0.40 3683 1934 516 3763 1976 527 ML5 0.02 0.02 0.09 0.04 0.05 0.18 0.05 0.06 0.24 0.07 0.09 0.33 5096 2675 713 5206 2733 729 NL6 0.02 0.03 0.10 0.05 0.05 0.20 0.09 0.11 0.40 0.12 0.13 0.51 4487 2356 628 4585 2407 642 NL7 0.03 0.03 0.12 0.05 0.06 0.23 0.09 0.10 0.37 0.11 0.13 0.49 3979 2089 557 4065 2134 569 NL8 0.05 0.05 0.20 0.09 0.11 0.40 0.06 0.07 0.25 0.10 0.12 0.45 2289 1202 320 2339 1228 327 ECL9 0.03 0.04 0.13 0.06 0.07 0.26 0.11 0.12 0.47 0.14 0.16 0.60 3565 1872 499 3642 1912 510 ECL10 0.04 0.04 0.15 0.07 0.08 0.30 0.10 0.11 0.43 0.13 0.16 0.58 3060 1607 428 3126 1641 438 M Men (70 kg), W Women (60 kg), C Children (16 kg), AL Altata lagoon, ML Macapule lagoon, NL Navachiste lagoon, ECL El Colorado lagoon. a Calculated using 0.3915 as mean MeHg/Hg ratio, estimated from the ranges reported for oysters by Claisse et al. ( 2001 ), Pan and Wang ( 2011 ), and Apeti et al. ( 2012 ). Total interval of MeHg/Hg ratios 0.156–0.621 ////Insert Table 5 //// The obtained results indicate that Hg concentrations in S. palmula and C. corteziensis were similar among the four coastal lagoons (NW Mexico) and the highest concentrations of this metal occurred in summer − autumn 2019, without exceeding the maximum permissible limit of 1.0 µg g − 1 established by national and international regulations. On the other hand, the total concentrations of Se in both species of oysters were higher in the northernmost lagoon during spring 2020. The levels of Hg and Se of S. palmula and C. corteziensis in each lagoon were similars, which is explained by sharing the same habitat, implying being exposed to the same water conditions, exposure levels of the elements, and feeding on the same resources. The negative correlation observed between Hg and CI in S. palmula , is probably related to its reproductive cycle. The Se/Hg molar ratio is reported for the first time in S. palmula and C. corteziensis ; Hg toxicity was neutralized by Se, indicating that consumption of raw oysters does not represent a risk. Declarations Funding This work was funded by the Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado (SIP) of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) through the projects: SIP 20200526 “Incidencia estacional de nematodos y Perkinsus marinus de la Almeja venus Chione undatella de bahía de La Paz y del Puerto Minero de Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur, México” and SIP 20200527 “Morfometría y fisiología de la Almeja venus Chione undatella de bahía de La Paz y del Puerto Minero de Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur, México”. Competing Interests The authors have no competing interests to declare. Author contributions All authors contributed to the study conception and design. CHS: investigation, sampling, methodology, resources, validation, formal analysis, writing-original draft. MISG and AMGG: resources, sampling and methodology. MGU: conceptualization, funding acquisition, project administration, resources, investigation, formal analysis, writing – review and editing. CCOM: conceptualization, resources, formal analysis, visualization, writing. RSC and LGEA: methodology, resources, review and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements The authors thank the support from Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), through Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, Estímulo al Desempeño de los Investigadores, and Comisión de Operaciones y Fomento de Actividades, and also are grateful with the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI-CONACyT). Carlos Humberto Sepúlveda and Maria Isabel Sotelo-Gonzalez thank CONACyT for the research fellowship. Thanks to Juan Antonio Hernández Sepúlveda and Dionicio López for participated in the biological sampling. 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As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-1795343","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":118922009,"identity":"f3abba27-9ec7-4186-ae60-9c68cadad7de","order_by":0,"name":"Carlos H. 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Osuna","lastName":"Martínez","suffix":""},{"id":118922015,"identity":"593d3e1a-136d-4dd1-8d51-621ca6aad703","order_by":6,"name":"Rebeca Sánchez Cárdenas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa: Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rebeca","middleName":"Sánchez","lastName":"Cárdenas","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2022-06-25 19:34:37","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1795343/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1795343/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":23865530,"identity":"d5486872-4c20-446d-8281-b906f7ef3d37","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-07-14 15:35:29","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":206404,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLocation of sampling sites in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico.\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;(\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003e★\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;),\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;(▲ ), both species of oysters (\u003cstrong\u003e●\u003c/strong\u003e). AL Altata lagoon, ML Macapule lagoon, NL Navachiste lagoon, ECL El Colorado lagoon\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig.1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1795343/v1/d085459a3e6f8d38c214e332.jpg"},{"id":27577848,"identity":"4527c726-2e6a-48de-b3bc-2dbb79fe189c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-10-10 19:21:32","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":472837,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1795343/v1/889c4905-7f3f-4424-b3db-2d77f24fd5a6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eMercury and selenium concentrations in the oysters \u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e from coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and the risk assessment on human health\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eDue to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation in the environment, the pollution by mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) remains as a worldwide environmental issue (Driscoll et al. 2013; Santos et al. 2015; Ali et al. 2019). The emission factors of Hg and Se in the coastal ecoregions of Northwest (NW) Mexico are due to the combination of various natural sources (e.g., geological weathering, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, hydrothermalism, and fossil deposits), as well as anthropogenic activities (e.g., gold mining, coal combustion, deforestation, agriculture, aquaculture, and manufacturing industry) (P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna et al. 2017). Due to their volatility, Hg and Se can be mobilized through continental runoff and atmospheric deposition, to areas far from their main source of origin (Schroeder and Munthe 1998). Eventually, these potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are accumulated in different reservoirs and subsequently biomagnified in top predators and humans (Acosta-Liz\u0026aacute;rraga et al. 2020).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMercury is a highly toxic metal without any known biological function; in particular, its organic forms, mainly methylmercury (MeHg), are the most toxic; in fact, it is responsible for various environmental and human health problems, even at low concentrations (Apeti et al. 2012; Driscoll et al. 2013; Niane et al. 2019). Among several harmful effects on human health, Hg causes mitochondrial disorders, lung-kidney damage, myocardial infarction, effects on the central nervous system (mainly in children), cardiovascular atherosclerosis (Ratcliffe et al. 1996; Jaishankar et al. 2014), and can cross the maternal placenta, for which this element is considered as teratogenic and mutagenic (Ask et al. 2002).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, Se is an essential metalloid that is mainly found in water, but due to its volatilization, also prevails in the atmosphere, soil, and plants (Tan et al. 2016). Selenium plays an important role in the formation of selenocysteine-rich proteins within the cells of most organisms; it also intervenes in brain function, growth, thyroid hormone metabolism, calcium regulation, and control oxidative stress in humans (Ralston et al. 2016). Recently, it has been documented that, due to its high affinity to form stable non-toxic Hg ̶ Se compounds (mercury selenide), without specifically modulating the absorption or excretion of Hg, the bioavailability of mercury toxicity can be reduced when Se/Hg molar ratio is ˃ 1 (Arcagni et al. 2017; Berg\u0026eacute;s-Tiznado et al. 2019; Delgado-Alvarez et al. 2020). However, this may also mean a deficit on the essential levels of Se that cause functional damages to the organisms (Acosta-Liz\u0026aacute;rraga et al. 2020). Besides, Se deficiency in human nutrition can lead to infertility (mainly in men) and diseases such as Kesh\u0026aacute;n (heart muscle or myocardial involvement) and Kashin-Beck (osteoarticular involvement) (Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique 2008), while at elevated levels, it can cause selenosis, which is characterized by hair loss, misshapen nails, rashes, swelling of the skin, and severe pain in the extremities (Rayman 2012).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiet (food and water) is considered the main absorption route of essential and toxic elements for humans. The PTEs can accumulate to high levels through the consumption of certain food, such as shellfish (including bivalve molluscs) (Zhang and Wong 2007). Oysters, clams, and mussels are filter-feeder bivalves found in the second trophic level of aquatic ecosystems (Vaughn and Hoellein 2018). Specifically, bivalve accumulate PTEs from food, water, and sediments to concentrations that may exceed those of their environment (Jonathan et al. 2017). Zhou et al. (2008) documented that bivalves have been widely used as biomonitors, due to their tolerance of various environmental contaminants, wide geographic distribution, adaptability to environmental conditions, abundance, sessile/sedentary life, reasonably long-lived, and easy sampling, and identification, among others characteristics (Otchere 2019; Yap et al. 2021).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe oysters \u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e (Carpenter 1857) and \u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (Hertlein 1951) are distributed along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru and Panama, respectively (Lodeiros et al. 2020). These ostreids have been used to monitor the Hg concentration on the NW coasts of Mexico (Garc\u0026iacute;a-Rico et al. 2010; Jara-Marini et al. 2013; Delgado-Alvarez et al. 2015; Ruiz-Fern\u0026aacute;ndez et al. 2018), from where they are extracted by local fishermen. However, this area is also recognized for its intensive anthropogenic activity (agriculture, mining and aquaculture), whose wastes are dumped in coastal reservoirs where oysters inhabit; consequently, it leads to a potential risk to human health, by their consumption (Garc\u0026iacute;a-Rico and Tejeda-Valenzuela 2018).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, the knowledge on the Se dynamic in both oyster species is scarce. There is only one report that evaluates the presence of Se in the oysters \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. virginica\u003c/em\u003e from the San Francisco Bay (California, USA) (Okazaki and Panietz 1981), and no information on the Se/Hg molar ratio in oysters (Scopus 2022) is available. Within this context, the purpose of this work was to determine the seasonal concentrations of Hg and Se in soft tissue of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e from four coastal lagoons of NW Mexico and evaluate the possible human health risk by its consumption. It is hypothesized that the Hg and Se concentrations of the oysters do not represent a risk for the environment or for human health, since Hg concentrations are below the maximum permissible limits (MPL), according to legislations.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials And Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eOyster samplings were carried out seasonally (summer 2019 to spring 2020) in ten sites distributed within four coastal lagoons of NW Mexico: Altata (AL, three sites: AL1, AL2, and AL3), Macapule (ML, two sites: ML4 and ML5), Navachiste (NL, three sites: NL6, NL7, and NL8), and El Colorado (ECL, two sites: ECL9 and ECL10) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). However, oyster species did not coexist at all sampling sites; therefore, \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2520) was collected in six sites and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3780) in nine sites. From each site and by species, 105 oysters (72.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.95 and 73.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.31 mm average size for \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e, respectively) were collected (75 for Hg and Se analysis and 30 for condition index determination, CI). The oysters were detached from the mangrove roots by hand, placed in metal-free polyethylene bags and transported on ice to the laboratory, where they were cleaned, measured (mm), weighed (g), and chipped (Fr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The CI was determined using the equation proposed by Walne and Mann (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR81\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1975\u003c/span\u003e): CI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;soft tissue dry weight/shell dry weight \u0026times; 1000.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e////Insert Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e////\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the laboratory, the oyster soft tissue samples were lyophilized (Labconco, Kansas City, MO, USA) at low temperature (-85\u0026deg;C) and high vacuum (0.035 mBar) for 96 h; then, they were ground in a Teflon mortar, homogenized by quartering, and the water content (%) was determined. Two\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.0 g aliquots of each sample were predigested (~\u0026thinsp;12 h) at room temperature with 10 mL of concentrated nitric acid (HNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, trace metal analyses J.T. Baker) in PTFE vessels (Savillex, 60 mL capacity). Digestion was performed on a heating plate (Barnstead) for 4 h at 120\u0026deg;C; subsequently, each sample was diluted with deionized water to a final volume of 50 mL and stored in polyethylene containers (MESL \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e). Total Hg was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) coupled to a cold vapor generator (Perkin-Elmer, Analyst 100, coupled MHS 15) and a 253.5 nm cathode lamp (Mu\u0026ntilde;oz-Sevilla et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e); whereas total Se quantification was analyzed by AAS in a graphite furnace, using a Perkin-Elmer AAnalyst 800 instrument with Zeeman correction effect and a 196 nm cathode lamp (Acosta-Liz\u0026aacute;rraga et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The precision of the analytical method and the results were validated by using certified reference material (DOLT-5\u0026reg;; National Research Council Canada, NRCC, USA), with recovery percentages of 116.76\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.46 and 90.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.90% for Hg and Se (\u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10 for both elements), respectively. Analytical blanks were used to check samples for possible contamination, and all materials used in the sampling and in the laboratory were acid washed (Moody and Lindstrom \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1977\u003c/span\u003e). The detection limits (two times the standard deviation of a blank) were 0.002 and 0.013 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e for Hg and Se, respectively. The coefficient of variation for duplicate samples was \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;7.67%. Mercury and Se concentrations are expressed as \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e wet weight (ww, 80.74\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.60% moisture content was used for all samples).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Se/Hg molar ratio in the oysters was calculated according to Burger and Gochfeld (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), dividing the concentration of the element by its molecular weight (78.96 and 200.59 g mol\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e for Se and Hg, respectively). The Se health benefit value (HBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e) was calculated with the equation proposed by Ralston et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e):\u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$${\\text{HBV}}_{\\text{Se }}\\text{=}\\left(\\frac{\\left(\\text{Se \u0026ndash; Hg}\\right)}{\\text{Se}}\\right)\\text{\u0026times; }\\left(\\text{Se + Hg}\\right)$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor the estimation of HBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e, the element concentration is presented as \u0026micro;mol kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e ww. A positive HBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e value is considered healthy, while a negative value indicates health risks associated with Hg exposure; the magnitude of the value means the degree of surplus or deficit of Se, related to the consumption of oysters (Ralston et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hazard quotient (HQ\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;EWI/RfD) was used to assess the potential non-cancinogenic risk to human health from consumption of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e, due to the level of exposure to Hg and Se (Newman and Unger \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Where EWI and RfD are the estimated weekly intake and the reference dose of the contaminant (\u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e body weight day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e); RfD\u003csub\u003eHg\u003c/sub\u003e = 0.0005 (FDA \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e); RfD\u003csub\u003eMeHg\u003c/sub\u003e = 0.0001 (US EPA \u003cspan citationid=\"CR77\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e); RfD\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e = 0.005 (US EPA 1991). According to the standard of US EPA (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e), values of HQ\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;1 suggests that adverse health effects are unlikely. Estimated weekly intake was calculated as EWI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;C \u0026times; I/W, where C and I is the mean PTEs concentration (\u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and I the apparent weekly consumption (0.49 kg person\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e year\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e = 9.39 g person\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; CONAPESCA \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) of the oysters. Average body weights (W) of the general population (70 kg for adult men, 60 kg for adult women, and 16 kg for five year-old children) were included in the analysis. For this study, the hazard index (HI) was calculated as the sum of the HQ for each studied PTEs (HI\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1 indicated no risks to human health) (Newman and Unger \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). The maximum consumption of oysters per week (MCOW\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;PTIW/[Hg]\u003cem\u003ej\u003c/em\u003e) of Hg was established, where [Hg]\u003cem\u003ej\u003c/em\u003e is the oysters Hg concentration (\u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e). The provisional tolerable intake per week (PTIW) for adult men and adult women, or children is 4.0 and 2.45 \u0026micro;g kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e body weight week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, respectively (JECFA \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). The value of MCOW is expressed in g of oyster intake week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e per capita (kg). Since the contribution of MeHg to total Hg is commonly found between 16.20% and 62.10% in oysters (Claisse et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Pan and Wang \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Apeti et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), a conversion of total Hg to MeHg was made by adjusting to 39.15%, as proposed by Delgado-Alvarez et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Likewise, the MCOW was calculated for MeHg, using the PTIW for adult men (1.6 \u0026micro;g kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e body weight week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; EFSA 2012) and pregnant women, lactating women, or children (0.98 \u0026micro;g kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e body weight week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; JECFA \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNormality and homoscedasticity of data were analyzed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Bartlett tests, respectively. Comparisons of the biometric data of oysters and average concentrations of Hg and Se among the coastal lagoons, sampling sites, and seasons of the year, were assessed by ANOVA\u0026rsquo;s test. Correlations between the concentrations of Hg, Se, and the molar ratios (Se/Hg) with the size, total weight, and CI of oysters were estimated through a Pearson correlation analysis (\u003cem\u003er\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003ep\u003c/sub\u003e). The differences between the content of Hg and Se in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e were detected with the Student's t test for independent variables. The level of significance was \u003cem\u003eα\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05 for all statistical analyzes (Zar \u003cspan citationid=\"CR85\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e), which were performed using the STATISTICA 7 software package (StatSoft, Tulsa, OK, USA).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results And Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eSize, total weight, and CI of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2520) and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3780) collected in the four coastal lagoons (NW Mexico), are presented in Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The annual mean value of the shell size in both species were similar (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) among the sampling sites. Total weight of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (35.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.64 g) and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (49.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.97 g) were higher at the ECL9 and NL7 sites, respectively; while the CI in both species of oysters was higher in ML (50.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.05 and 51.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.61 for \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e, respectively) (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable border=\"1\" id=\"Tab1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAnnual mean and standard deviation of size (mm), total weight (g) and condition index of oysters collected in four coastal lagoons in Northwest Mexico\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSite\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSize\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal weight\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCondition index\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMin\u0026ndash;Max\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMin\u0026ndash;Max\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMin\u0026ndash;Max\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e62.63\u0026ndash;79.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e70.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.44\u0026ndash;58.74\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.24\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.07\u0026ndash;87.76\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.25\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61.59\u0026ndash;81.74\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e70.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.36\u0026ndash;59.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.64\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.14\u0026ndash;86.96\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.18\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.61\u0026ndash;80.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.60\u0026ndash;62.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.85\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.24\u0026ndash;85.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.05\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.14\u0026ndash;78.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.00\u0026ndash;50.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.66\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.54\u0026ndash;77.72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.85\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.80\u0026ndash;84.59\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.20\u0026ndash;42.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.29\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.51\u0026ndash;87.53\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61.21\u0026ndash;82.92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.55\u0026ndash;54.70\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.64\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.35\u0026ndash;88.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14.67\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.32\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.17\u0026ndash;90.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e74.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.10\u0026ndash;65.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.10\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.34\u0026ndash;84.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.97\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e62.40\u0026ndash;85.74\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e74.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26.70\u0026ndash;66.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.18\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.63\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.56\u0026ndash;86.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.43\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.63\u0026ndash;82.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e74.77\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.60\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.00\u0026ndash;58.60\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.40\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.79\u0026ndash;87.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.61\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.54\u0026ndash;88.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26.90\u0026ndash;60.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.81\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.09\u0026ndash;88.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;18.61\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63.76\u0026ndash;89.87\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.78\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.80\u0026ndash;63.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.94\u0026ndash;80.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.68\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.70\u0026ndash;87.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.78\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e29.90\u0026ndash;68.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.97\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.15\u0026ndash;76.92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.85\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63.68\u0026ndash;81.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.00\u0026ndash;57.90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.01\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.05\u0026ndash;88.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.22\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e62.70\u0026ndash;91.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.85\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.10\u0026ndash;66.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.19\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.65\u0026ndash;86.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14.37\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e64.69\u0026ndash;80.83\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e73.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.20\u0026ndash;58.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.10\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.90\u0026ndash;88.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.66\u003csup\u003eabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e73.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMin\u003c/em\u003e minimum, \u003cem\u003eMax\u003c/em\u003e maximum, \u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e standard deviation, \u003cem\u003eNS\u003c/em\u003e not specified, \u003cem\u003eAL\u003c/em\u003e Altata lagoon, \u003cem\u003eML\u003c/em\u003e Macapule lagoon, \u003cem\u003eNL\u003c/em\u003e Navachiste lagoon, \u003cem\u003eECL\u003c/em\u003e El Colorado lagoon. Column with different superscript letters denotes significant differences (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between the sampling sites and oyster species\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e////Insert Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e////\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe total Hg concentrations in the soft tissue of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e presented an interval between 0.03\u0026ndash;0.16 and 0.02\u0026ndash;0.17 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (wet weight), respectively. This interval is comparable to that found by Delgado-Alvarez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) in NW Mexico and by Ordiano-Flores et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) in Villa Clara, Cuba. In most of the sampling sites, the higher and lower seasonal mean concentrations of Hg were respectively recorded in summer\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;autumn 2019 and winter\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;spring 2020 (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding the seasonal influence, P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna and Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) and Mu\u0026ntilde;oz-Sevilla et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) reported higher concentrations of Hg in \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e, respectively, during the rainy season (summer\u0026ndash;autumn), which were related to continental runoff from the intensive and vast agricultural areas that reach the coastal lagoons with increased wet deposition. Fr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) also reported higher Hg concentrations in \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e collected in the Ur\u0026iacute;as lagoon (NW Mexico) in November 2012 (autumn). In this study, a similar trend occurs since the higher Hg level in both oyster species was registered during summer\u0026ndash;autumn 2019 (rainy season) (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn both oyster species, the level of Se presented an order of magnitude higher than those determined for Hg, coinciding with Okazaki and Panietz (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e) who analized the soft tissue of \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. virginica\u003c/em\u003e, from San Francisco Bay (California, USA). However, the Se concentration reported by these authors was lower compared with the level found in this study (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). This could be due to the bioavailability of this element in coastal lagoons and the differences in size and life stage of the organisms (Otchere \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), among other factors. The Se content in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e showed a seasonal variation, with intervals of 0.99\u0026ndash;4.55 and 0.81\u0026ndash;4.08 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, respectively. In both species, the Se showed a tendency to increase seasonally; the lowest concentrations were recorded in summer 2019 and increased in autumn 2019; subsequently, the level of this metaliod increased in winter 2020, and its maximum level was reached in spring 2020 (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable border=\"1\" id=\"Tab2\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSeasonal mean concentrations and standard deviation of total mercury and selenium (\u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e ww) in the soft tissue of \u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e at the sampling sites (Northwest Mexico)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSite\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Hg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Se\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWinter\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSpring\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAutumn\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWinter\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSpring\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"9\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n 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\u003cp\u003e0.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.55\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"9\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n 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\u003cp\u003e0.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.90\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.10\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.27\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"9\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAL\u003c/em\u003e Altata lagoon, \u003cem\u003eML\u003c/em\u003e Macapule lagoon, \u003cem\u003eNL\u003c/em\u003e Navachiste lagoon, \u003cem\u003eECL\u003c/em\u003e El Colorado lagoon. For Hg and Se, rows with different superscript letters denote significant differences (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between sampling stations and oyster species\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e////Insert Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e////\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe annual mean concentration of Hg for \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was similar (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e ˃ 0.05) among the sampling sites (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e), which could be partially explained by the natural and continuous contribution of leaching from the soils-rocks and by waste from the mining which represent a key source of Hg (Cadena-C\u0026aacute;rdenas et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). It has been reported that such wastes are transported along rivers and streams that originate in the Sierra Madre Occidental (an area rich in minerals) and, eventually, end up in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico at low concentration (Murray and Busty \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Since the colonial period until the beginning of the 20th century, the mining industry used approximately 200,000 t of Hg in the silver and gold extraction process, and it is estimated that just under half of that used Hg is still present in mine tailings (Delgado-Alvarez et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Niane et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). The Hg used by the mining activity in the state of Sonora (the main gold producer in Mexico), is transported atmospherically to the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico and accumulated in the sediments and different trophic levels; in this way, its impact could reach areas with a low contamination level far from its sources of origin (Schroeder and Munthe \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e; P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, Hg levels in coastal lagoons may increase due to upwelling events and the continuous renewal of seawater (P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna and Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Another important source of this metal is the effluents from intensive agriculture in NW Mexico, since Hg-based fungicides are still used to control plants pests (Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Mercury can also reach lagoons due to various causes such as: continental runoff, untreated wastewater systems, paint waste, batteries, cement plant waste, and dental objects (P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bioaccumulation of Hg in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e could be due to their benthic and feeding habits, since they filter large volumes of seawater (around 10 to 20 L min\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) through the cilia, mantle and gills (Maz\u0026oacute;n-Su\u0026aacute;stegui et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e), where the metal is suspended (Jonathan et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Mercury is one of the most persistent chemical elements and can be distributed and accumulated in various tissues and organs of aquatic organisms; eventually, it can be biomagnified from lower trophic levels to humans (Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Arcagni et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Oysters live mainly attached to the roots of mangroves (\u003cem\u003ei.e. Rhizophora\u003c/em\u003e spp.) and on rocky surfaces, exposed and/or buried in muddy sediments (Lodeiros et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) with a high content of organic matter, which favors retention of metals, such as Hg (Rojas de Astudillo et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, it is possible to infer that the sediments in the study area could be one of the most important routes of Hg accumulation in these bivalves (Sep\u0026uacute;lveda et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Despite the natural sources and anthropogenic activities that contribute with Hg deposition in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico, the Hg concentration in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e was below the maximum permissible limit of 1.0 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e (wet weight) established by the Mexican legislation (Norma Official Mexicana NOM-031-SSA1-1993), the World Health Organization (WHO \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1982\u003c/span\u003e), and the United States Food and Drug Agency (FDA \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e), which indicates that the consumption of these species from the sampled lagoons does not represent a risk to human health with respect to Hg poisoning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, the annual mean concentration of Se for \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (3.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.96 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (2.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.89 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was higher (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in ECL9 (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). This site is located in one of the most contaminated areas by PTEs within the El Colorado lagoon (P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna and Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), which is part of the Agiabampo-Bacorehuis-R\u0026iacute;o Fuerte Antiguo lagoon system and, which, receives the contributions of the Fuerte River and the runoff from the highly technical agricultural activities of the municipality of Ahome (~\u0026thinsp;194,482.23 ha; SIAP \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), municipal waste (~\u0026thinsp;459,310 inhabitants; INEGI \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) and shrimp farms (~\u0026thinsp;12,639 ha; CESASIN \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) and Santos et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) mention that the aquatic environment can be contaminated by Se due to agriculture, urban drainage, mining waste, thermoelectric plants, oil refineries and metallic minerals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Se/Hg molar ratio in the oysters varied among the sampling sites; the lowest value in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (48.76) and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (31.72) were observed in NL8, while the highest values (149.59 and 155.37) in ECL9 and AL2, respectively (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). It has been documented that Se can neutralize the toxic effect of Hg, if its Se/Hg molar ratio is \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1 (Burger and Gochfeld \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Selenium intervenes in the Hg demethylation process through the selenocysteine protein, transforming the metal to its inorganic and less toxic form (Medina-Morales et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Vega-S\u0026aacute;nchez et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e); this way, Hg can be excreted more easily through pseudofeces and spawning (Rodr\u0026iacute;guez de la Rua et al. 2005). The present study reports for the first time the Se/Hg molar ratio in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e in NW Mexico, inclusive, in the distribution area of these two species (Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru; Lodeiros et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The Se/Hg ratio was always greater than 1 in both oyster species, which can be explained by the low level of Hg found (Burger and Gochfeld \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). These results are similar to the Se/Hg ˃ 1 molar ratios reported in different groups of organisms, as shrimps \u003cem\u003eFarfantepenaeus californiensis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLitopenaeus stylirostris\u003c/em\u003e (NW Mexico) (Fr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), the mahi mahi fish \u003cem\u003eCoryphaena hippurus\u003c/em\u003e (Gulf of California) (Berg\u0026eacute;s-Tiznado et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), Pacific hake \u003cem\u003eMerluccius productus\u003c/em\u003e (Gulf of California) (Acosta-Liz\u0026aacute;rraga et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), crustaceans like the crab \u003cem\u003eCallinectes arcuatus\u003c/em\u003e (NW Mexico) (Delgado-Alvarez et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), and elasmobranchs like the shark \u003cem\u003eMustelus henlei\u003c/em\u003e (Mexican Pacific Ocean) (Medina-Morales et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The value of the health benefit by Se (HBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e) (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e), indicates a benefit provided by a higher concentration of Se in comparison to Hg in the soft tissue of oysters. HBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e values above 1 have bee reported for some species of fish (\u003cem\u003eThunnus albacares\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;64.54, \u003cem\u003eVinciguerria lucetia\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;19.41, \u003cem\u003eLagocephalus lagocephalus\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;298.40, and \u003cem\u003eC. hippurus\u0026thinsp;=\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;1.77), squids (\u003cem\u003eDosidicus gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;12.82, \u003cem\u003eThysanoteuthis rhombus\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;30.30, and \u003cem\u003eSthenotheuthis oualaniensis\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;63.52), the crab \u003cem\u003ePleuroncodes planipes\u003c/em\u003e (13.26) (Ordiano-Flores et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Vega-S\u0026aacute;nchez et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e); as well as the shark \u003cem\u003eCarcharhinus falciformis\u003c/em\u003e (52.30; Bodin et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable border=\"1\" id=\"Tab3\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAnnual mean concentrations and standard deviation of total mercury and selenium (\u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e ww), molar ratio (Se/Hg) and selenium health benefit value (HBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e) in the soft tissue of \u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e in Northwest Mexico\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSite\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Hg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026micro;mol Hg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Se\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026micro;mol Se\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSe/Hg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHBV\u003csub\u003eSe\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.55\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.65\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.47\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.94\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84.94\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.41\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.62\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e126.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.41\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.76\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.96\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e149.59\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e42.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.72\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34.82\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e155.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34.81\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.72\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e117.69\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.96\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.27\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e74.95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.78\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e107.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.75\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e103.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.60\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.59\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.89\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e116.74\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.65\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8.27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e124.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAL\u003c/em\u003e Altata lagoon, \u003cem\u003eML\u003c/em\u003e Macapule lagoon, \u003cem\u003eNL\u003c/em\u003e Navachiste lagoon, \u003cem\u003eECL\u003c/em\u003e El Colorado lagoon. Column with different superscript letters denotes significant differences (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between the sampling sites and oyster species\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e////Insert Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e////\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs expected, there was no significant difference with the concentrations of the study elements between sizes and total weight of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e ˃ 0.05). Similar observations were recorded by Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) for \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e from the Ceuta lagoon, Sinaloa. Acosta and Lodeiros (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the highest concentrations of metals were proportionally related to the shell size of the clam \u003cem\u003eTivela mactroides\u003c/em\u003e. However, Collaguazo-Collaguazo et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) reported that small specimens of the clam \u003cem\u003eAnadara tuberculosa\u003c/em\u003e, have the ability to bioaccumulate higher metals concentrations (including Hg) than larger clams. Spawning and body size of bivalves, can also influence the accumulation and variability of metals and metalloids in their tissues (G\u0026oacute;ngora-G\u0026oacute;mez et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). In this study, specimens of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e of similar sizes (72.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.95 and 73.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.31 mm, respectively; Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) were collected to reduce possible variations in the level of metals due to the size of the organisms (Sep\u0026uacute;lveda et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). However, their body weight varied significantly with the seasons, which suggests that these values could be associated with reproductive cycle, as reported by Rodr\u0026iacute;guez-Jaramillo et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e)d ngora-G\u0026oacute;mez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) for \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e. This pattern has also been observed in other ostreids such as \u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae\u003c/em\u003e (Rebelo et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e), C. \u003cem\u003evirginica\u003c/em\u003e (Aguilar et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), C \u003cem\u003ecorteziensis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (\u0026asymp;\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e) (P\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna and Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), and \u003cem\u003eC corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (Fr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). In fact, the Hg concentration in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e was slightly correlated with CI (\u003cem\u003er\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003ep\u003c/sub\u003e = \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.29, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), which agrees with that reported by Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) for \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e cultivated in the coastal lagoons of NW Mexico. No correlations of Se/Hg molar ratio were observed between shell sizes, total weight and CI in none of the ostreid species (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA comparison of the Hg level in the soft tissues of oysters from several coastal lagoons in Mexico shows that, the interval of data found in this study (0.03\u0026ndash;0.16 and 0.02\u0026ndash;0.17 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e for \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e, respectively ) are similar to most of the results reported in the literature (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e), but are lower than those found for \u003cem\u003eC. virginica\u003c/em\u003e in the T\u0026eacute;rminos lagoon (Gulf of Mexico), mainly affected by oil, agricultural and urban activities (Aguilar et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Compared with other regions of the world, the level of Hg determined in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e is similar to those reported for \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae\u003c/em\u003e in Morocco (Maanan \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) and Cuba (Olivares-Rieumont et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), but higher than those determined for \u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae\u003c/em\u003e in the Santos and Paranagu\u0026aacute; estuary, Brazil (Torres et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), C. \u003cem\u003egigas\u003c/em\u003e in the Ebro Delta, Catalonia, Spain (Ochoa et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e)d \u003cem\u003evirginica\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae\u003c/em\u003e in the Gulf of Paria, Venezuela and Trinidad (Rojas de Astudillo et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). However, the Hg concentration in this study was lower than those recorded for \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e in Minamata Bay, Japan (Eisler \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e) and in some coastal and marine regions of Italy where the Japanese oyster \u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e is cultivated (Burioli et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). These differences could be due to the abundance of Hg in the continental crust (on mean it is higher than 0.056 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) since the level of Hg in the world is not homogeneous and some regions are more enriched than others (Wedepohl \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e). Also, Hg concentration can vary among oyster species due to biological aspects, related to their metabolic activity, differences between sizes, and reproductive period (Singh et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Jara-Marini et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable border=\"1\" id=\"Tab4\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal mercury interval concentrations (\u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e ww) in different oyster species from some coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and other worldwide regions\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSpecies\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eArea (sampling year)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Hg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAuthor\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons of NW Mexico\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUr\u0026iacute;as lagoon, Sinaloa (2006)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.006\u0026ndash;0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eJara-Marini et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBacochibampo Bay, Sonora (2004\u0026ndash;2005)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026ndash;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGarc\u0026iacute;a-Rico et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026ndash;0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOsuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u0026ndash;0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOsuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. virginica*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eT\u0026eacute;rminos lagoon, Campeche (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026ndash;0.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAguilar et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. virginica*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNorthern Gulf of Mexico, USA (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.006\u0026ndash;0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eApeti et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTobari lagoon, Sonora (2009)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u0026ndash;0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eJara-Marini et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea\u003c/em\u003e spp.*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa-Nayarit (2010\u0026ndash;2011)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026ndash;0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDelgado-Alvarez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eS. palmula*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2008\u0026ndash;2009)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026ndash;0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna and Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2008\u0026ndash;2009)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026ndash;0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP\u0026aacute;ez-Osuna and Osuna-Mart\u0026iacute;nez (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLa Pitahaya estuary, Sinaloa (2011)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u0026ndash;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eG\u0026oacute;ngora-G\u0026oacute;mez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNavachiste lagoon, Sinaloa (2011\u0026ndash;2012)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u0026ndash;0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eJonathan et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2013\u0026ndash;2014)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026ndash;0.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMu\u0026ntilde;oz-Sevilla et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUr\u0026iacute;as lagoon, Sinaloa (2012\u0026ndash;2013)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u0026ndash;0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal waters, Sonora (2010)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u0026ndash;0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGarc\u0026iacute;a-Rico and Tejeda‑Valenzuela (2018)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2019\u0026ndash;2020)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026ndash;0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis study\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal lagoons, Sinaloa (2019\u0026ndash;2020)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026ndash;0.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis study\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOther worldwide regions\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMinamata Bay, Japan (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.00**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEisler (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChannel of Santa Cruz, Brazil (1993\u0026ndash;1994)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026ndash;0.44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMeyer et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. tulipa*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBenya, Ningo lagoons, Ghana (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026ndash;0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOtchere et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGulf of Paria, Venezuela and Trinidad (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.002\u0026ndash;0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRojas de Astudillo et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. virginica*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGulf of Paria, Venezuela and Trinidad (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.002\u0026ndash;0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRojas de Astudillo et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEstuarine systems, Northeast Brazil (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.004\u0026ndash;0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVaisman et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOualidia lagoon, Morocco (2004\u0026ndash;2005)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026ndash;0.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMaanan (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVilla Clara, Cuba (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026ndash;0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOlivares-Rieumont et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. rhizophorae*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSantos and Paranagu\u0026aacute; estuaries, Brazil (2008\u0026ndash;2009)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026ndash;0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTorres et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas*\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEbro Delta in Catalonia, Spain (2008\u0026ndash;2009)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026ndash;0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOchoa et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal waters, Korea (2009\u0026ndash;2013)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.006\u0026ndash;0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMok et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eC. gigas\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCoastal marine ecosystems, Italy (NA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u0026ndash;0.34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBurioli et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003e*Calculated from dry weight, assuming 80% moisture. **Only the mean value was available. \u003cem\u003eNA\u003c/em\u003e not available\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e////Insert Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e////\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecent studies highlight the importance of evaluating the potential risk to human health from the ingestion of PTEs contained in commercially important fishery products (including oysters), especially in cities and coastal communities dedicated to the capture and production of seafood, where the annual consumption of oysters is double or more (Fr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) than established as national apparent consumption (0.49 kg person\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e year\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e = 9.39 g person\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; CONAPESCA \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). The HQ values obtained in this study remained below the risk level (HQ\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1); therefore, the ingestion of Hg, MeHg and Se due to the consumption of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e does not represent a risk to human health (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). These results are similar to the studies by Delgado-Alvarez et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), Fr\u0026iacute;as-Espericueta et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), and Garc\u0026iacute;a-Rico and Tejeda-Valenzuela (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e), who reported HQ values below 1 in ostreids from NW Mexico. The HI values in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e ranged from 0.09 to 0.69 and 0.07 to 0.62, respectively. In particular, Se in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e (72.14%) and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e (72.75%) was the metal that contributed the most to the calculated HI value, followed by Hg (27.86%) for \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e, and Hg (27.25%) for \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e. In addition, as a precautionary measure, we calculated that a 70 kg for adult man, a 60 kg for adult women, and a 16 kg for five year-old child could consume 2551, 1339, and 357 g person\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, and 2289, 1201 and 320 g person\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e week\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e soft tissue, respectively, without risks to health (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003ctable border=\"1\" id=\"Tab5\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHazard quotient (HQ) for Hg, MeHg, and Se (annual mean concentration; \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e ww), hazard index (HI) and amount of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e soft tissue (g) that could be ingested per week (MCOW)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003ccolgroup cols=\"19\"\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSite\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"9\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHQ\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMCOW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMeHg\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSe\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHg\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMeHg\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"19\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2551\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1339\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e357\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2606\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1368\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e365\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2663\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1398\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e373\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2721\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1429\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e381\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3623\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1902\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e507\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3702\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1943\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e518\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4887\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2566\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e684\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4994\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2622\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e699\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2976\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1562\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e417\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3041\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1596\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e426\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.69\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3530\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1853\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e494\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3607\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1894\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e505\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"19\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2970\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1559\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e416\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3034\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1593\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e425\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAL3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3653\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1918\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e511\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3732\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1959\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e522\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3683\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1934\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e516\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3763\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1976\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e527\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eML5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5096\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2675\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e713\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5206\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2733\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e729\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4487\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2356\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e628\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4585\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2407\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e642\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3979\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2089\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e557\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4065\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2134\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e569\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNL8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.45\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2289\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1202\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e320\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2339\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1228\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e327\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.60\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3565\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1872\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e499\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3642\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1912\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e510\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eECL10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3060\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1607\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e428\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3126\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1641\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e438\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"19\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eM\u003c/em\u003e Men (70 kg), \u003cem\u003eW\u003c/em\u003e Women (60 kg), \u003cem\u003eC\u003c/em\u003e Children (16 kg), \u003cem\u003eAL\u003c/em\u003e Altata lagoon, \u003cem\u003eML\u003c/em\u003e Macapule lagoon, \u003cem\u003eNL\u003c/em\u003e Navachiste lagoon, \u003cem\u003eECL\u003c/em\u003e El Colorado lagoon. \u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003eCalculated using 0.3915 as mean MeHg/Hg ratio, estimated from the ranges reported for oysters by Claisse et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e), Pan and Wang (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e), and Apeti et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Total interval of MeHg/Hg ratios 0.156\u0026ndash;0.621\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e////Insert Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e////\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe obtained results indicate that Hg concentrations in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e were similar among the four coastal lagoons (NW Mexico) and the highest concentrations of this metal occurred in summer\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;autumn 2019, without exceeding the maximum permissible limit of 1.0 \u0026micro;g g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e established by national and international regulations. On the other hand, the total concentrations of Se in both species of oysters were higher in the northernmost lagoon during spring 2020. The levels of Hg and Se of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e in each lagoon were similars, which is explained by sharing the same habitat, implying being exposed to the same water conditions, exposure levels of the elements, and feeding on the same resources. The negative correlation observed between Hg and CI in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e, is probably related to its reproductive cycle. The Se/Hg molar ratio is reported for the first time in \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e; Hg toxicity was neutralized by Se, indicating that consumption of raw oysters does not represent a risk.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e This work was funded by the Secretar\u0026iacute;a de Investigaci\u0026oacute;n y Posgrado (SIP) of the Instituto Polit\u0026eacute;cnico Nacional (IPN) through the projects: SIP 20200526 \u0026ldquo;Incidencia estacional de nematodos y Perkinsus marinus de la Almeja venus Chione undatella de bah\u0026iacute;a de La Paz y del Puerto Minero de Santa Rosal\u0026iacute;a, Baja California Sur, M\u0026eacute;xico\u0026rdquo; and SIP 20200527 \u0026ldquo;Morfometr\u0026iacute;a y fisiolog\u0026iacute;a de la Almeja venus Chione undatella de bah\u0026iacute;a de La Paz y del Puerto Minero de Santa Rosal\u0026iacute;a, Baja California Sur, M\u0026eacute;xico\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors have no competing interests to declare.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAll authors contributed to the study conception and design. CHS: investigation, sampling, methodology, resources, validation, formal analysis, writing-original draft. MISG and AMGG: resources, sampling and methodology. MGU: conceptualization, funding acquisition, project administration, resources, investigation, formal analysis, writing \u0026ndash; review and editing. CCOM: conceptualization, resources, formal analysis, visualization, writing. RSC and LGEA: methodology, resources, review and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e The authors thank the support from Instituto Polit\u0026eacute;cnico Nacional (IPN), through Secretar\u0026iacute;a de Investigaci\u0026oacute;n y Posgrado, Est\u0026iacute;mulo al Desempe\u0026ntilde;o de los Investigadores, and Comisi\u0026oacute;n de Operaciones y Fomento de Actividades, and also are grateful with the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI-CONACyT). Carlos Humberto Sep\u0026uacute;lveda and Maria Isabel Sotelo-Gonzalez thank CONACyT for the research fellowship. Thanks to Juan Antonio Hern\u0026aacute;ndez Sep\u0026uacute;lveda and Dionicio L\u0026oacute;pez for participated in the biological sampling.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAcosta V, Lodeiros C (2004) Heavy metals in the clam \u003cem\u003eTivela mactroides\u003c/em\u003e Born, 1778 (Bivalvia: Veneridae) from coastal localities with different degrees of contamination in Venezuela. 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Environ Int 33:108\u0026ndash;121. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2006.06.022\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.envint.2006.06.022\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1795343/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1795343/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe toxicity of mercury (Hg) in bivalves can be reduced when it is associated with selenium (Se) as mercury selenide, a stable non-toxic compound. Mercury and Se were seasonally studied (summer 2019-spring 2020) in the soft tissue of oysters \u003cem\u003eSaccostrea palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCrassostrea corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e from four coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico. The higher Hg concentration (≈ 0.13 µg g\u003csup\u003e−1\u003c/sup\u003e, wet weight) in both oyster species were obtained in summer−autumn 2019. Mercury level was similar among the coastal lagoons and did not exceed the limit established by the Norma Official Mexicana, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Drug Agency (\u0026lt; 1.0 μg g\u003csup\u003e−1\u003c/sup\u003e Hg). The higher Se concentration (≈ 4.55 µg g\u003csup\u003e−1\u003c/sup\u003e) occurred in spring 2020 for both oyster species. Regarding Se/Hg molar ratios, they were above 1; the positive selenium health benefit value index suggested that Se concentration in oysters could reduce the potential toxic effect of Hg; and the hazard quotient for Hg (methylmercury) and Se in both species was below 1. Therefore, the consumption of \u003cem\u003eS. palmula\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eC. corteziensis\u003c/em\u003e not represented a risk due to Hg ingestion. Continuous monitoring of the Se/Hg ratio is recommended in oysters from NW Mexico for a more precise assessment of human health risk.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Mercury and selenium concentrations in the oysters Saccostrea palmula and Crassostrea corteziensis from coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico and the risk assessment on human health","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2022-07-14 15:35:27","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1795343/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"92348910-8f8b-4b78-9520-a2ec57888f10","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 14th, 2022","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2022-10-10T19:21:26+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2022-07-14 15:35:27","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-1795343","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-1795343","identity":"rs-1795343","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"J0_U0BvcaRcwD8yVFaRlm","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}