Metals in diet of Bering Sea walrus: Mya sp. as a possible transmitter of elevated cadmium and other metals

Elevated levels of cadmium in Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) have been reported in populations from the Bering Sea (Goldblatt & Anthony, 1983; Taylor et al., 1989). Russian and US authorities are concerned because of the possible health hazards from consuming pinniped meat harvested for subsistence peoples. The effects of cadmium on marine mammals have not been determined, but high concentrations of this element in humans and laboratory animals have been correlated with renal, skeletal, and biochemical dysfunctions (Friberg et al., 1986).