Data on environmental contaminants in sea turtle eggs at Venu Island, Kaimana – West Papua, Indonesia

Abstract

Long-range atmospheric transport of contaminants can result in contamination of aquatic systems in otherwise pristine areas. Contaminants enter aquatic systems largely as inorganic pollutants that often are microbially transformed. The result can be a potent neurotoxin with a strong tendency to biomagnify within food chains. The general human population is exposed to contaminants such as mercury, predominantly through food consumption. Here, we report data on contaminants from a sample of green and hawksbill turtle that were sampled from a subset of two nests during the 2016 nesting season at Venu Island, Kaimana. Three contaminants (mercury, cadmium, arsenic) found in eggs exceeded safety limits for human consumption. Other contaminants such as lead, zinc, manganese, copper and iron were found below the established safety standard.