Abstract
Contamination of the river by oil spill had put the health of the people who consume fish at risk. Five fish samples each of Liza falicipinis (Mullet), Sarotherodon melanotheron (Tilapia) and Sardinella maderensis (Sardine) (n=15) were collected monthly from the Bonny Estuary from February to July 2018. The samples were oven dried at 100°C and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Model pm ver 2.02 Avanta) to determine the concentration of Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr), Vanadium (V) and Mercury (Hg). The result show that there is significant difference (F7, 130 = 65.6, P 0.05), although dry season had higher concentration. Sardine had the highest concentration of heavy metal followed by tilapia and mullet. Result of EDI indicates higher intake during the dry season (that is February). Highest EDI was recorded in tilapia (5673.1 ± 5632.5 mg/kg). Similarly, highest Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn were recorded in sardine whereas Pb was highest in tilapia. Mullet had highest daily intake for February and March. Sardine had the highest THQ for Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn, whereas tilapia had high values in Cd and Ni while mullet had high values in Pb. The implication of this result is that dry season is not the best time to consume these three fish species. Key words: Heavy metals, bioaccumulation, Niger Delta, Bonny Estuary, fishes, food chain.
Highlights
Studies have shown that despite the health benefit of deriving protein from consuming fish, human health can be compromised if heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury are present (Bosch et al, 2016)
Copper and Cadmium concentrations were highest in sardine as compared to tilapia and mullet
Lead on the other hand, had the highest concentration in mullet followed by sardine and tilapia
Summary
Studies have shown that despite the health benefit of deriving protein from consuming fish, human health can be compromised if heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury are present (Bosch et al, 2016). Concentration of heavy metals varied significantly between species and organs, and mercury was found to accumulate more in the muscle (Farkas et al, 2000; Cai et al, 2019). Lead and Nickel were shown to cause the greatest risk to health, while tilapia species had no risk of consumption (Taweel et al, 2013). Heavy metal pollution in the aquatic ecosystem has long been recognized as a serious environmental.
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