Arsenic species and uptake in amphibians (Rana clamitans and Bufo americanus)

Abstract

Total arsenic concentrations and the chemical form, or species, of arsenic were determined in amphibians (Rana clamitans and Bufo americanus) collected from a site with elevated arsenic concentrations in Nova Scotia, Canada. Frog legs had significantly elevated total arsenic concentrations at a contaminated site when compared with a nearby background site and a calculation of the estimated daily intake rates of arsenic indicates that both diet (invertebrate intake) and water absorption are important sources of arsenic for these adult organisms. Body burdens of tetramethylarsonium were similar for both the contaminated and background site, with up to 50% of the total arsenic contained in frog legs in the form of the tetramethylarsonium ion.