Metal Concentrations in Fish Species from the Northeast Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Samples of Mugil cephalus and Mullus barbatus were collected in the Northeast Mediterranean coast of Turkey the contents of cadmium, copper, iron, zinc and lead in the liver, gill and muscle tissues were determined by atomic absorption flame spectrophotometry. Except for lead, highest levels of each metal were found in the liver and this was followed by the gill and muscle in both species. Among the metals analyzed, Cu, Zn and Fe were the most abundant in the different tissues while Cd and Pb were the least abundant both in M. cephalus and M. barbatus. Seasonal changes in metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, Fe and Zn) concentration were observed in the tissues of both species, but these seasonal variations may not influence consumption advisories. In general, the highest concentrations were detected for all metals in summer.

Cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in Mugil cephalus from seven coastal lagoons of NW Mexico

“…There are several references to season-related variations of metal concentrations, which are generally related to the seasonality of some human activities such as agriculture (Burger et al 2005;Çogun et al 2006;Dural et al 2007). In NW Mexico, the rainy season is from July to October, when the increase in the volumes of water drained into the lagoonal systems was expected to be reflected in higher metal contents of our samples.…”

“…For this reason, several fish species have been used in marine/coastal pollution monitoring programs, because they are good indicators of metal accumulation in the marine environment (Çogun et al 2006;Dural et al 2006). In coastal lagoons, mullets have been used in several of these studies because, being filter and detritus feeders (Drake et al 1984;Minos et al 1995), they are exposed to the contaminants present in water and sediments (Blasco et al 1998;Fernandes et al 2007Fernandes et al , 2008.…”

Comparison of Heavy Metal Levels in Muscle and Gills of Four Benthic Fish Species from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

“…Heavy metals are taken up and accumulated by aquatic organisms both from the surrounding medium and via food sources (deep-sea carnivorous fish in particular accumulate metals in their muscles via the food chain). The extent of heavy metal accumulation is affected by external (dissolved metals, physicochemistry, dissolved oxygen, interactions between metals, sediment, food, seasonal effects, geographical differences) and internal (individual variability, body size and development stage, sex, breeding condition, brooding, moulting and growth, behaviour) factors [2,3].Many species of marine benthic fish are largely being used to assess the quality of aquatic environments because they could concentrate large amounts of some metals in different tissues such as muscle and gills [4,5]. The gills are considered the main site of entry for the dissolved metals.…”

“…Heavy metals are taken up and accumulated by aquatic organisms both from the surrounding medium and via food sources (deep-sea carnivorous fish in particular accumulate metals in their muscles via the food chain). The extent of heavy metal accumulation is affected by external (dissolved metals, physicochemistry, dissolved oxygen, interactions between metals, sediment, food, seasonal effects, geographical differences) and internal (individual variability, body size and development stage, sex, breeding condition, brooding, moulting and growth, behaviour) factors [2,3].…”

Determination of Heavy Metals in Low Value Food Fish from Commercial Landing Centers (India) by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer

“…However, like essential metals, nonessential metals are also taken up by fish and accumulate in their tissues (Yilmaz, et al, 2010). Few reports described metal residues in wild marine fish species (Cogun et al, 2006;Storelli et al, 2006).…”