Heavy metal content in liver and feathers of seabirds affected by the "Prestige" accident on the Galician coast

Seabirds are organisms considered to be top consumers in marine foodchains and therefore can be used in biomonitoring programs in order to assess the effect of a broad spectrum of contaminants on those highly sensitive ecosystems. In this work, heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu) content in liver and feathers of three different seabird species (common guillemot, Atlantic puffin and razorbill) directly affected by the "Prestige" oil spill in November 2002 have been analyzed. The samples were obtained from animals which died along the Galician coast. In general, the levels of these four analyzed elements were low in both analyzed samples (liver and feathers), representing levels comparable to those quantified for the same seabird species in other geographical areas; the levels were not indicative of increased environmental exposure to such inorganic pollutants.