The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd, Mn and Hg in 46 canned fish samples of nine different brands purchased within Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana were determined using the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer for Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd and Mn and direct mercury analyzer (DMA) for Hg. The ranges obtained for the elements analyzed in µg/g (wet weight) are as follows: Pb (0.058 -0.168), Zn (0.010 -0.370), Hg (0.088 -0.410), Mn (0.001 -0.057), Fe(0.990 -32.607) and Cd, below detection limit in all the samples. The fish samples had Hg levels below the European dietary limit of 0.5 µg/g. Zinc levels were generally below the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended limit of 40 µg/g. The concentration of lead in the canned fish was also below the MAFF guidelines of 2.0 µg/g. Also, based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) health criteria for carcinogens, there are no health risks associated with Pb concentrations in canned fishes analyzed. The result of the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) conducted on the data suggested no significant variations (P>0:05) in the concentrations of the metals in the same brands of canned fishes.

Sixty-one samples of canned tomato paste comprising seven brands originating from three countries and sold in local markets in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana were analysed for levels of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and for levels of mercury (Hg) by direct mercury analyzer. Mean heavy metal concentrations varied by brand, ranging from below the limit of detection (Cd) to a maximum concentration range of 1.68 ± 1.63 to 58.6 ± 14.5 µg g⁻¹ (Fe). Estimated mean ranges of other heavy metals are 2.06 ± 0.62 to 8.52 ± 0.68 µg g⁻¹ (Zn), 2.62 ± 0.33 to 5.75 ± 0.47 µg g⁻¹ (Mn), 0.070 ± 0.003 to 0.116 ± 0.012 µg g⁻¹ (Pb) and 0.011 ± 0.001 to 0.102 ± 0.001 µg g⁻¹ (Hg). Assessed metal levels in five brands were below the WHO/FAO permissible levels. Results of the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) conducted on the data suggested no significant variations (P > 0.05) in the concentrations of the metals in the same brands of canned tomatoes.