Determination of Residual Presence of Toxic Heavy Metal in the Liver of LABEO BATA (HAMILTON, 1822) Using Rain Water Harvest System

Abstract

Abstract: Fish are special among vertebrates because they may absorb metal from the water through their gills and from their food through their guts (direct and trophic absorption methods). Since the fish's gills are the primary organ targeted by metal toxicity, the direct uptake route is more significant. Most research on the toxicity and accumulation of metals in fish focuses on individual metals. But in the natural world, fish are exposed to mixes of many metals, whose toxicity levels typically differ from those of individual metals because of their additive, sometimes less than additive (antagonistic) effects, or higher than additive (synergistic) effects. This article discusses the build-up of heavy metals in fish organs and tissues, particularly in relation to the intake of water-borne metals via the trophic pathway. The trophic route is important because it is related with “Biological Magnification”. The fish we eat, usually comes from rivers or pond or bheri, in Kolkata. These are also contaminated with heavy metal toxicity. The rain water is contamination free from heavy metal. We collected live fish from market and kept them in “Rain Water Harvest System” for 24 hours. The accumulated heavy metal was expected to be eliminated from fish liver within 24 hours through the process of detoxification. We found that, even after 24 hours, fish liver contain certain heavy metal as residue. The model fish was Labeo bata (Hamilton,1822). Far more studies on metal interactions should be performed to reach the level of predictability