Sources and Toxicity of Mercury in the San Francisco Bay Area, Spanning California and Beyond
Table 4
Methylmercury concentrations in representative trophic level III organisms.
Trophic level III
Methylmercury (MeHg) concentration
Comments
Literature citation
Secondary consumers: carnivores that consume herbivores
Range: 0.1–0.3 ppm
Methylmercury is retained in tissues of organisms. Organisms of trophic level III are consumed by organisms in higher trophic levels IV and V; the toxin continues to accumulate.