Metal Distribution in the Tissues of Two Benthic Fish from Paddy Fields in the Middle Reach of the Yangtze River

Metal content was determined in two fish species (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus and Monopterus albus) inhabiting rice paddies along the Middle Reach of the Yangtze River. Both are species important food fish in East Asia. The levels of eight metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, As, Cd, Pb) in skin, muscle and intestinal tissues were measured and correlated with fish size. Metal distribution among the tissues was examined and the potential risk of fish consumption was evaluated. Correlations between metal concentration and fish size were not significant. Concentrations of essential metals varied significantly among tissues, but the differences were not significant for non-essential metals. Correlations among metals in skin tissue were stronger than in intestinal and muscle tissues. Metal concentrations in the edible tissues of both fish met permissible levels for consumption, except Pb in loach skin and Cr loach in muscle. The potential risk caused by Pb from skin and Cr from muscle of loach consumption should be considered in future risk assessmeents.     

Evaluation of heavy metals in fish of the Sepetiba and Ilha Grande Bays,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

Muscles, gonads, and liver tissues of fish caught in Sepetiba and Ilha Grande Bay were analyzed to assess levels of heavy metal concentrations of Cd, Fe, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Cr. Levels of Cr surpassed the maximum permissible concentration in muscle, followed by Zn in some species. Pb, Cu, and Cd presented concentrations above maximum permissible levels in gonads and liver only. Fe presented concentrations in viscera comparable to those of highly polluted areas, although there are no standards available for this metal. Ni was the only metal that did not present contamination in the fish tissues examined. Overall, fish caught in Sepetiba Bay showed higher metal concentrations than those from Ilha Grande Bay, but the latter also presented high metal concentrations in several samples.     

Contamination of Metals in Tissues of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ctenopharyngodon idella</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perca fluviatilis</Emphasis>, from Anzali Wetland,Iran

The objective of the present study was to investigate the levels of metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cr) in muscle, gill, liver, kidney and intestine of two freshwater fish, Ctenopharyngodon idella and Perca fluviatilis, in Anzali Wetland, Iran. The concentrations were different between the fish species as well as among the tissues of fish. Results showed that the metal concentrations in both fish species were in descending order of Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd. Results also showed that the Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations in the muscle of both fish from Anzali Wetland are below levels of concern for human consumption.     

Heavy Metals in Livers of Waterbirds from Spain

Wetlands tend to accumulate heavy metals from local sources, such as Pb shot used for waterfowl hunting, and from regional sources, such as atmospheric deposition and riverine or marine inputs. We determined concentrations of six heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in livers of waterbirds shot by hunters in five Spanish wetlands to study the different factors that can contribute to the accumulation of these metals (sex, age, diet, grit, and Pb shot ingestion). Differences among wetlands were observed only for Cr, Cu, and Cd. Differences among species were observed for all the metals, and Cu was notably higher in pochards (Aythya and Netta genus) than in other waterfowl. Cu, Zn, and Cd concentrations increased with age, and only Pb showed differences related to sex, with males having higher concentrations than females. Most metals other than Pb were correlated with each other. Lead was dependent on Pb shot ingestion. Grit ingestion positively correlated with concentrations of Cr and to a lesser extent with Mn, Zn, and Cd. Ingestion of grit or shot may obscure relationships between metals and diet. Herbivorous species, which had more grit in the gizzard, had higher Cr, Zn, and Cd concentrations. Granivorous birds, which have the highest rates of Pb shot ingestion, had the highest concentrations of Pb. Grit and Pb shot ingestion are both important sources of heavy metals for waterbirds. Lead was the single metal studied whose concentrations exceeded toxicity thresholds. Received: 5 March 2002/Accepted: 12 June 2002     

Heavy-Metal Concentrations in Female Laying Great Tits (Parus major)and Their Clutches

Egg laying may be an additional excretory pathway for heavy metals available to laying female birds. In this study, we examined the relationships between tissue concentrations (both internal organs and feathers) of 10 breeding female great tits (Parus major) and the concentrations in their eggs. We also investigated differences in metal concentrations (Ag, Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) among eggs as a result of the laying order of the eggs. Heavy-metal concentrations in internal tissues were highest in bone (Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn), kidney (Cd), liver (Cu), blood (Al, As, Co, Hg), and intestine (Ag, Mn). In the egg contents, relatively high concentrations of the essential elements Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn were found. In eggshells, concentrations of Ag, Al, As, Co, Cr, and Ni were high compared with internal tissue concentrations. Metal concentrations in the egg contents and eggshells were poorly correlated with metal concentrations in internal tissues and feathers; significant positive correlations were found only for cadmium and lead. We found few significant differences in metal concentrations among eggs, and none were according to the laying order of the eggs. The egg volume tended to decrease significantly as egg laying progressed. Our results seem to suggest that no special sampling strategies (e.g., sampling the first egg or pooling eggs from one clutch) are required for most metals.     

Monitoring Trace Metal Contaminants in Green Mussel, Perna viridis from the Coastal Waters of Karnataka, Southwest Coast of India

The green mussel (Perna viridis) is widely distributed in the coastal waters of Asia and is used in mussel watch programmes for monitoring environmental contaminants throughout the region. Green mussels representing different size groups and habitats were sampled from their natural beds at 28 locations in the inshore waters of Karnataka (southwest coast of India) to analyze the tissue concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Tissue concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, and Pb were significantly higher in smaller mussels than in the larger size group. Significantly higher concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni were observed in mussels sampled from intertidal beds when compared to mussels from the subtidal beds. The sampling sites were categorized into industrial sites (IS), urban sites (US), and nonurban sites (NS) based on principal component analysis of metal concentrations in mussel. Spatial variations in tissue concentrations of all metals were observed except for Zn. Generally, the levels of toxic trace metals like Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr in the whole tissue of P. viridis were within safe limits throughout the coast of Karnataka. However, relatively high concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Pb were observed in the whole tissue of green mussels collected from the industrial sites (IS), which may be derived from a variety of anthropogenic activities.     

Determination of Metal (Cu,Zn, Se,Cr and Cd) Levels in Tissues of the Cyprinid Fish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Capoeta trutta</Emphasis> (Heckel, 1843) from Different Regions of Keban Dam Lake (Euphrates-Turkey)

The aim of this study was to evaluate Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Chromium (Cr) and Cadmium (Cd) concentrations in liver, muscle, gills and kidney tissues of Capoeta trutta collected from four sites of Keban Dam Lake, Turkey. The highest heavy metal level in all tissues was for Zn, while Cd was the lowest. The lowest heavy metal levels were generally found at Station 4 (Agin) for all tissues (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences among stations for Cu, Zn, Cr and Se in gills; for Cu, Zn, Se and Cr in liver and kidney; and Cu, Zn and Cr in muscle (p < 0.05). Cadmium concentrations did not differ between sites for any of the tissues. Turkish Food Codex sets the maximum limits of Zn, Cu and Cd as, 50, 20 and 0.05 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight, respectively, in the muscle of fish used for human consumption. In our study, the level of Zn was higher than Turkish permissible limits only at Station 3 (Guluskur). Cadmium levels were much higher than permissible limits at three stations [S1 (Pertek), S2 (Kockale) and S3], whereas Cu levels were within permissible limits in all stations.     

Relating Environmental Availability to Bioavailability: Soil-Type-Dependent Metal Accumulation in the Oligochaete Eisenia andrei

Body residues are often better estimates of the amount of a chemical at the sites of toxic action in an organism than ambient soil concentrations, because bioavailability differences among soils are explicitly taken into account in considerations of body residues. Often, however, insufficient attention is paid to the rate and extent at which tissue concentrations respond to soil concentrations and soil characteristics. In this contribution the impact of soil characteristics on the environmental bioavailability of heavy metals for the oligochaete worm Eisenia andrei is reported. Uptake of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in 20 Dutch field soils and in OECD artificial soil was quantified as a function of time. Internal metal concentrations varied less than the corresponding external levels. Metal uptake and elimination were both metal- and species-dependent. Worms typically attained steady-state concentrations rapidly for Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn. Internal concentrations similar to those in the cultivation medium, linearly increasing body concentrations, or steady-state internal concentrations well above those in the cultivation medium were found for As, Cd, and Pb. Multivariate expressions were derived to describe uptake rate constants, steady-state concentrations, and bioaccumulation factors as a function of soil characteristics. Soil acidity is the most important solid-phase characteristic modulating the availability of As, Cd, and Pb. Although additional semimechanistic calculations yielded evidence of pore-water-related uptake of Cd and Pb modulated by competition between H⁺ and metal ions at the active sites of the membranes, the findings for Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn point to additional influences, among which is probably regulation.     

Metal Concentrations in Two Commercial Fish from Persian Gulf,in Relation to Body Length and Sex

The relationship between sex, size (length and weight) and metal concentrations in the tissues of two commercially valuable fish species (silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus and tiger tooth croaker, Otolithes ruber) from Persian Gulf were evaluated. Concentrations of the metals in fish species ranged as follows: Mn 0.743–11.279; Cd 0.175–2.375; Pb 2.406–11.297; Zn 10.837–80.389; Fe 2.263–86.110; Cu 1.503–6.333 μg/g dry weight, respectively. Metal content in both fish varied with type of metals, organ, and sex. Results showed that, except in a few cases, significant relationships between metal concentrations and fish size were negative.     

Metals in Two Species of Fish in Karasu River

In this study, cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) levels were determined in the tissues (muscle, liver and gills) of two fish species, Capoeta capoeta umbla and Chalcalburnus mosullensis, collected from three stations of the Karasu River. The lowest metal accumulation was detected in the muscle tissues. Moreover there was some variability in the metal concentrations measured in the same tissues from samples obtained from the three different stations. A positive correlation was observed for the concentration of metal pairs Fe–Cu, Fe–Zn, Ni–Pb, Pb–Zn. These findings were also compared with national and international food standards, and Pb and Cd concentrations were determined to be above the level set by the standards. In conclusion, it was supposed that excessive consumption of these two fish species, which already occurs in this region, might pose a public health risk.     

Variations of heavy metals and arsenic in fish and other organisms from the Calcasieu River and Lake,Louisiana

The edible parts of several species of fish and other marine organisms inhabiting the Calcasieu River/Lake, Louisiana were analyzed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ag, Zn, and As. Concentrations of all metals measured in both intra and interspecies showed no significant variation with sample location. Differences in elemental concentrations were related to organism mobility and not to site-specific variations in metal loadings. Different species of finfish contained only trace amounts of Cd (0.02-0.08), Ag (<0.01–0.3), Pb (<0.2–0.5), and As (<0.1–0.3) mg kg^–1. Concentrations of Cu and Cr were highly variable, in contrast to Zn, which was present in relatively constant amounts across all species (28 ± 7 mg kg^–1). Sessile organisms such as oysters had the highest concentrations of heavy metals, including Cd. Periphyton and Zooplankton were the only groups that showed differences in metal concentrations with sampling location.     

Trace metals concentrations in the muscle tissue of ten fish species from Abu‐Qir Bay,Egypt

Fish samples representing 10 different fish species caught from Abu‐Qir Bay (Trigla lyra, Sphyraena sphyraena, Pleuronectes platessa, Lithognathus mormyrus, Siganus luridus, Boops boops, Xrichthys novacula, Dicentrachus punctatus, Merluccius spp. and Trachinus draco) were analyzed for determination of Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cr, Co, Cd and Pb by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The study indicated that, the concentrations of some metals such as Co and Cu varied a little among fish studied and there were minor concentrations of trace metals in the tissues of the different fish species. There is no risk from human consumption. The concentration factor was found to be high in Trigla lyra for Cu (24.9), in Xirchthys novacula for Pb (23.8) and in Merluccius spp. for Cd (12.0).     

Heavy metals in sediment and their accumulation in commonly consumed fish species in Bangladesh

Six heavy metals (chromium [Cr], nickel [Ni], copper [Cu], arsenic [As], cadmium [Cd], and lead [Pb]) were measured in sediments and soft tissues of eleven commonly consumed fish species collected from an urban river in the northern part of Bangladesh. The abundance of heavy metals in sediments varied in the decreasing order of Cr > Ni > Cu > Pb > As > Cd. The ranges of mean metal concentrations in fish species, in mg/kg wet weight (ww), were as follows: Cr, 0.11–0.46; Ni, 0.77–2.6; Cu, 0.57–2.1; As, 0.43–1.7; Cd, 0.020–0.23; and Pb, 0.15–1.1. Target hazard quotients (THQs) and target carcinogenic risk (TR) showed the intake of As and Pb through fish consumption were higher than the recommended values, indicating the consumption of these fish species is associated with noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks.     

Comparison of Metal Accumulation in Fish Species from the Southeastern Black Sea

In this study, it was aimed to determine accumulation of the metal concentrations in fish species in different regions which are Sürmene and Yomra bay at southeastern Black sea in Trabzon-Turkey. For this purpose, concentrations of metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sb, Hg, Pb) were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in muscle of red mullet (Mullus barbatus ponticus) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus euxinus). Metal concentrations were found for whiting ranged as follows; 0.35–1.64 (Cr), 0.01–0.09 (Co), 0.01–0.71 (Ni), 0.71–1.45 (Cu), 18.64–68.06 (Zn), 2.05–9.66 (As), 0.15–14.16 (Se), 0.01–0.22 (Cd), 0.01–0.01 (Sb), 0.01–0.15 (Hg), 0.01–0.25 (Pb) and for red mullet as 0.43–1.04 (Cr), 0.05–0.23 (Co), 0.02–0.67 (Ni), 0.74–2.32 (Cu), 19.89–43.50 (Zn), 6.04–24.82 (As), 0.02–9.83 (Se), 0.01–0.11 (Cd), 0.01–0.01 (Sb), 0.07–0.18 (Hg), 0.01–0.20 (Pb) μg g⁻¹ dry weight. Metal concentrations in samples were found to be lower than legal limits proposed by Turkish Food Codex (2008), Food and Agricultural Organization (1983), and European Commission (Off J Eur Union L364-5–L364-24, 2006) for human consumption.     

Plankton as an Indicator of Heavy Metal Pollution in a Freshwater Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh, India

Halali Reservoir is an important freshwater body of Madhya Pradesh. The water of the reservoir is used for drinking, irrigation and aquaculture practices. It receives untreated sewage, wastes from small scale industries and agricultural runoff from the catchment area. Various heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) levels were measured in plankton of Halali Reservoir during 2006–2007 by inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectrometry. Mean concentration ranges for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were 0.0018–0.0037, 0.0038–0.2257, 0.0013–0.0228, 0.0011–0.0086, 0.0133–0.0494 and 0.0130–0.1168 μg g^?1, respectively. Overall, mean Cr concentrations in the plankton were generally the highest of the six metals at four of the five study sites. Metal concentrations at these four sites generally followed the order: Cr > Zn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd. Mean concentrations of all metals at a fifth site were consistently lower than at the other sites. The high levels of Cr in the plankton are in agreement with high Cr levels that have been reported in fish from this reservoir, indicating that plankton may serve as a useful indicator of metal pollution in fish.     

Tissue Metal Distribution and Risk Assessment for Important Fish Species from Saudi Arabia

The concentrations of nine heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, As and Fe) in the muscle tissue of four fish species (Oreochromis niloticus, Clarias gariepinus, Poecilia latipinna and Aphanius dispar dispar) collected from Wadi Hanifah were detected in two different seasons. The concentrations of the studied heavy metals, except for Cd, Pb, Ni and Cu in A. d. dispar and P. latipinna, were found to be below the safe limits recommended by various authorities and thus provide an indication of the extent of pollution of these metals. The present study also demonstrates that Zn and Cr were the most and least accumulated metals, respectively, in the studied fish muscle tissues. From the standpoint of human health, this study suggests that there is a possible health risk to consumers due to the current consumption rate of A. d. dispar and P. latipinna in Saudi Arabia.     

Heavy Metal Accumulation in Lake Sediments, Fish (Oreochromis niloticus and Serranochromis thumbergi), and Crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in Lake Itezhi-tezhi and Lake Kariba, Zambia

We measured the level of heavy metal accumulation in lake sediments, herbivorous (Oreochromis niloticus) and carnivorous (Serranochromis thumbergi) fish, and crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) from Lake Itezhi-tezhi (ITT) and Lake Kariba. We used atomic absorption spectrophotometry to quantify the levels of seven heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Ni). The sediment and the herbivorous fish O. niloticus accumulated a very high concentration of Cu in Lake ITT, most likely due to the discharge of Cu waste from a mining area 450 km upstream. The aquatic species we sampled in Lake Kariba had higher concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Pb relative to those in Lake ITT. This is most likely due to anthropogenic activities, such as the use of leaded petrol and antifouling agents in marine paints. Interestingly, we observed a negative correlation between the coefficient of condition (K) and Ni concentration in the crayfish hepatopancreas. Both O. niloticus and the crayfish had much higher biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAF) for Cu, Zn, and Cd relative to Cr, Co, Pb, and Ni. The rank of BSAF values for O. niloticus (Cu > Cd > Zn) and C. quadricarinatus (Zn > Cd > Cu) differed from the expected ranks based on the general order of affinity of metals (Cd >> Zn > Cu).     

Metal Concentrations of Common Freshwater and Marine Fish from the Pearl River Delta,South China

Sediments and fish, including tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), and mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) were collected from different fish ponds in the Pearl River Delta (Tanzhou, Sanjiao, Guangzhou, Shipai, Changan, and Mai Po) for the analysis of metalloids and heavy metals [arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb)]. The pollution of As in pond sediments was great; however, As in the edible parts of pond fish were within the international permissible safety levels for human consumption. Axial muscles from 10 species each of freshwater and marine fish purchased from markets in Hong Kong were also analyzed for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn. Freshwater fish contained 0.24 to 2.13 mg/kg As, 0.10 to 0.17 mg/kg Cd, 0.09 to 0.36 mg/kg Cr, 0.06 to 0.35 mg/kg Cu, 0.07 to 0.34 mg/kg Hg, 0.04 to 0.36 mg/kg Ni, 0.11 to 0.52 mg/kg Pb, and 2.67 to 19.1 mg/kg Zn (wet weight). Marine fish had higher Hg and lower Pb concentrations than freshwater fish. A few fish species had average concentrations greater than the international standards for Cd and Pb established by the European Union and the China National Standard Management Department. Total Hg concentrations in 10 of 20 market fish species were generally greater than those of the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 0.2 mg/kg for at-risk groups, such as children and pregnant women. Daily intake through fish consumption of these metals were compared with the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake proposed by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives. There appears to be potential threat to local people from Hg contamination because of the high marine fish consumption rate (142 g/d/person).     

Allometry of heavy metal bioconcentration in the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus

The relationships between concentration and size in Paracentrotus lividus were studied for seven metals (Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe, Cr, Cu, and Ti). In the calcified body compartment, Zn concentrations showed inverse power relationships, while concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Cr increased as power functions of echinoid size; Fe, Cu, and Ti concentrations did not vary significantly with echinoid size. In the non-calcified body compartment of the echinoid, the concentrations of Zn, Pb, Fe, Cu, and Ti showed inverse power relationships, Cd concentrations increased linearly, and Cr concentrations did not show any significant relationship with echinoid body size. Most relationships were rather weak, except in the cases of Pb and Fe in the non-calcified compartment and Cd in the calcified compartment. The allometric relationships were affected by seasonal factor in the non-calcified compartment only. The results indicate that biomonitoring programs using P. lividus as an indicator of metal contamination must take into account both echinoid size and season as source of metal concentration variations.     

Assessment of heavy metal tolerance in native plant species from soils contaminated with electroplating effluent

Heavy metals concentrations of (Cr, Zn, Fe, Cu and Ni) were determined in plants and soils contaminated with electroplating industrial effluent. The ranges of total soil Cr, Zn, Fe, Cu and Ni concentrations were found to be 1443-3240, 1376-3112, 683-2228, 263-374 and 234-335 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Metal accumulation, along with hyperaccumulative characteristics of the screened plants was investigated. Present study highlighted that metal accumulation in different plants varied with species, tissues and metals. Only one plant (Amaranthus viridis) accumulated Fe concentrations over 1000 mg kg⁻¹. On the basis of TF, eight plant species for Zn and Fe, three plant species for Cu and two plant species for Ni, could be used in phytoextraction technology. Although BAF of all plant species was lesser than one, these species exhibited high metal adaptability and could be considered as potential hyperaccumulators. Phytoremediation potential of these plants can be used to remediate metal contaminated soils, though further investigation is still needed.