Bioaccumulation and regional distribution of trace metals in fish of the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

There are limited data on trace metals in the fishes of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, 62 fish samples were collected from six alpine lakes and a river to investigate the levels and spatial variations of trace metals across the Tibetan Plateau. The concentrations of nine trace elements in fish samples were measured using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer after microwave digestion. Results showed the metal concentrations in the fish muscles had the following ranges: Cr 0.09-0.74 mg/kg, Mn 0.38-4.49 mg/kg, Ni 0.06-0.91 mg/kg, Cu 1.00-32.2 mg/kg, Zn 13.1-102.5 mg/kg, As 0.12-3.10 mg/kg, Pb 0.46-3.22 mg/kg, Ba 0.60-4.93 mg/kg, and Se 0.77-9.38 mg/kg on a dry weight basis, respectively. All the lake-averaged metal concentrations in the fish muscle were below the maximum permissible levels set by the Chinese food health criterion (GB2762-2012). The results were analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques to identify the major factors explaining the variance of metal concentrations in the alpine lakes. This work provides baseline data on metal pollution in common fish species of the Tibetan Plateau, contributing to the effective evaluation of both the environmental quality and health status of organisms in the aquatic ecosystem.

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, As, Cd) in external and internal organs of black pomfret (Parastromateus niger) in the northwest of Persian Gulf

“…The presence of metal in aquatic environment may lead to accumulation of metals in aquatic organisms through different mechanism: via the direct uptake from water through gill or skin (bioconcentration), via the uptake of suspended particles (ingestion) and via the consumption of contaminated food (bio-magnification) (Burger, Gochfeld, Jeitner, Pittfield & Donio 2014). Recent attention has been paid in developed and developing countries on the subject of anomalous distribution of metals in the water, sediments and fishes which are fundamentally important for understanding the behavior of the metals and also the swapping between the sediments and the water column (Yang, Zhang & Wang 2014). The aim of the present study was to assess the heavy metals (As, Cu, Cd, Zn) in one of the most commercial fish, black pomfret (Parastromateus niger) and to determine whether these metals are within permissible limits for human consumption.…”