| Summary: | In October 1997 The National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Arctic Environment (DMU, AM) conducted an environmental study on the chromium concentration in blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, and brown seaweed, Fucus vesiculosus, in Julianehåb Fjord, southern Greenland. The study was performed on behalf of the Greenland Home Rule, Department of Environment and Nature, with the purpose to evaluate the impact of chromium discharged from the tannery Great Greenland, Qaqortoq. Similar environmental studies were conducted by DMU, AM in October 1989 and 1991. The highest chromium concentrations in mussels and seaweed were in 1997 found within one km from the tannery. This was similar to the two previous years. Yet, concentrations in 1997 were 3-5 times higher (13-16 µg/g dry weight) in the mussels than found in 1989 and 1991. The concentrations in seaweed were this year comparable to the level in 1991 (1.5-3.4 µg/g dry weight), and less than in 1989 (1,2-8,9 µg/g dry weight). The background concentrations were in 1997 reached (found) 2 kms (seaweed) and 3 kms (mussels) from the tannery compared to distances in previous years of 1 km (seaweed), 1,5 kms (mussels, 1991), and 3 kms (mussels, 1989). The tendency from 1989 to 1991 was smaller chromium concentrations in mussels and seaweed, a reduction in the impacted area, and a halving of the chromium discharge (from 400 to 200 kgs per year), whereas the tendency from 1991 to 1997 was higher chromium concentrations in the organisms, an increase in the impacted area, and an increase in chromium discharge (from 200 to 312 kgs per year (1995) and 229 kgs per year (1997)). There seems to be no health risk to ingest relatively large quantities of blue mussels from the impacted area around the tannery. Nine samples of discharge water were analysed by Great Greenland and DMU, AM, respectively, with the use of two different methods, and no significant differences were found in chromium concentrations. This result was found also in 1991. The chromium concentration in the waste water batches of 3-5 m3 are 0.5-0.7 g/l. It is recommended to treat the waste water at the tannery and to dis-charge it continuously in order to reduce possible acute toxic impacts of the environment, to test the acute toxicity of the discharge water, to monitor the environment around Great Greenland in a similar study, e.q. every third year, and to study excretion and absorption of chromium in the blue mussel by transplanting mussels from the impacted area to uncontaminated waters and vice versa. *
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