Evaluation of Trace Metal Levels in Tissues of Two Commercial Fish Species in Kapar and Mersing Coastal Waters, Peninsular Malaysia

Fathi Alhashmi Bashir,Mohammad Shuhaimi-Othman,A G Mazlan

doi:10.1155/2012/352309

Fathi Alhashmi Bashir, Mohammad Shuhaimi-Othman + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/352309

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Abstract

This study is focused on evaluating the trace metal levels in water and tissues of two commercial fish species Arius thalassinus and Pennahia anea that were collected from Kapar and Mersing coastal waters. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Al, As, Cd and Pb in these coastal waters and muscle, liver and gills tissues of the fishes were quantified. The relationship among the metal concentrations and the height and weight of the two species were also examined. Generally, the iron has the highest concentrations in both water and the fish species. However, Cd in both coastal waters showed high levels exceeding the international standards. The metal level concentration in the sample fishes are in the descending order livers > gills > muscles. A positive association between the trace metal concentrations and weight and length of the sample fishes was investigated. Fortunately the level of these metal concentrations in fish has not exceeded the permitted level of Malaysian and international standards.

Highlights

It is unfortunate that we, human beings without realizing the consequences of pollution, do a lot of activities that terribly ruin the nature, resulting in the denial of healthy environment to our successors
The metals accumulated in these waters infect the humans by direct consumption of water or through consuming the affected organisms like fishes [2, 3] claim that when the level of trace metal concentrations exceeds the stipulated level, it turns out to be toxic
The precision and accuracy of the applied analytical method was validated by accurate analysis of standard reference material of marine biota sample (SRM2976, freeze-dried mussel tissue, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA)

Summary

Introduction

It is unfortunate that we, human beings without realizing the consequences of pollution, do a lot of activities that terribly ruin the nature, resulting in the denial of healthy environment to our successors. Water contamination is one of the serious concerns that affect the marine ecosystem with high concentration of trace level metals. Malaysia is one of the countries that critically face this issue since 1990. The reason for this alarming situation is due to the rapid economic growth that the country is experiencing for the past two decades. The metals accumulated in these waters infect the humans by direct consumption of water or through consuming the affected organisms like fishes [2, 3] claim that when the level of trace metal concentrations exceeds the stipulated level, it turns out to be toxic. The work in [4] has stated that the higher level of metal concentration will bring shattering effect to the ecological balance by altering the range of organisms in water

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