Abstract
The study was conducted to determine of copper (Cu) in muscle tissue of Tinfoil Barn Fish (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) and surface water at Kuantan River and Pinang River, Pahang. The study also determine the water quality parameters and water quality index (WQI). The fish was caught by using gill net and the were digest using acid digestion method and analysed by Inductive Coupled Plasma Micro Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The mean concentration of Cu in fish muscle was 0.5070 ± 0.01748 mg/kg for Kuantan River and 0.4732 ± 0.01807mg/kg for Pinang River which below the permissible limit set by Malaysia Food Act (MFA) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Cu concentration were 0.0052 ± 0.0004390 mg/kg in Kuantan River and 0.0017 ± 0.00006669 mg/kg in Pinang River. The level of Cu in both rivers were not harmful to the fish as the concentrations are below the permissible limit set by US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and National Water Quality Standard (NWQS). There was no significant difference (p < 0.05) in the concentration of muscle tissue for Cu between rivers. In contrast, there showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the concentration of Cu in water between rivers. Kuantan River and Pinang River have been classified in Class II according to the Department of Environment (DOE) that the water must require conventional treatment for water supply purpose.
Highlights
Fish is one of the important animal protein sources for human consumption
As referred in table 1, the mean concentration of Cu in Kuantan River was 0.5070 ± 0.01748 mg/kg which was slightly higher than the Pinang River with value of 0.4732 ± 0.01807 mg/kg
Since p > 0.05, there was no significant difference in the concentration of Cu in muscle tissue of B. schwanenfeldii between Kuantan and Pinang rivers
Summary
Fish is one of the important animal protein sources for human consumption. Due to the lower content of fat or carbohydrate in white-fleshed fish compared to other animal meat makes they become an important part of a healthy diet [1]. In the heavy metals polluted water bodies, the heavy metal is distributed in the water bodies, tended solids and sediments and enter the human food chain. The metals can bioaccumulate in fish by ingestion directly through food, diffusion across the skin, and breathing through gills [3]. These heavy metals are transferred through the bloodstream to the organs. Considering the high demand for fish in human consumption, intake of contaminated fish could have adverse effects on human health. This may include serious threats such as renal failure, damage to the liver, cardiovascular diseases, and death
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