Analisis Kandungan Merkuri (Hg) Pada Sedimen Dan Ikan Di Teluk Totok Kabupaten Minahasa Tenggara

Abstract

Totok Bay is a coastal area affected by artisanal gold mining activities that have the potential to generate mercury (Hg) waste and contaminate the aquatic environment. Mercury can accumulate in sediments and aquatic organisms, posing potential health risks to humans through the food chain. This study aimed to determine mercury (Hg) concentrations in sediments and fish from Totok Bay, Southeast Minahasa Regency. A descriptive laboratory-based survey design was employed. The samples consisted of 16 sediment sampling points selected using purposive sampling and four commonly consumed fish species, namely cobia (Rachycentron canadum), bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus), Japanese threadfin bream (Nemipterus japonicus), and areolate grouper (Epinephelus areolatus). Mercury analysis was conducted at the Makassar Public Health Laboratory using the ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) method. The results were compared with the marine sediment quality standard of 0.41 mg/kg and the fish mercury standard of 0.5 mg/kg. The findings showed that 15 out of 16 sediment samples exceeded the permissible limit, with the highest concentration recorded at 6.8159 mg/kg, the lowest at 0.1425 mg/kg, and an average concentration of 2.121 mg/kg. In contrast, all fish samples contained mercury levels below the regulatory threshold, namely cobia <0.00003 mg/kg, bigeye trevally 0.1501 mg/kg, Japanese threadfin bream 0.0626 mg/kg, and areolate grouper 0.0401 mg/kg. It can be concluded that the sediments in Totok Bay have experienced significant mercury contamination, while mercury concentrations in fish remain within safe limits. Nevertheless, the presence of mercury in all fish samples indicates that mercury contamination has entered the aquatic food chain of the Totok Bay ecosystem.