Heavy metal and trace element accumulation in muscle, liver and gills of the Pontic shad (Alosa immaculata Bennet 1835) from the Danube River (Serbia)

Abstract

Pontic shad ( Alosa immaculata Bennet 1835) is an anadromous species that lives in the heavily polluted north-western part of the Black Sea and migrates into the Danube River to spawn. To assess their heavy metal contamination levels, samples of Pontic shad were collected at 863 river kilometre of the Danube River. Muscle, liver and gill samples were prepared using microwave digestion, and the analysis of Al, As, Cd, Cu, B, Ba, Fe, Mg, Sr, Zn, Li, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni and Pb was performed with inductively-coupled plasma-optic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Significant differences in concentrations of analyzed elements were observed among different tissues, as well as between the genders. Al, Sr, Ba, Mg, and Li had the highest concentrations in gills, while Cd, Cu, Zn, Fe and B were highest in the liver. While the muscle had the lowest concentrations of most of the analyzed elements, it had the highest concentration of As. This study has revealed that the concentrations of Cd and As in Pontic shad muscle tissue were above the maximum acceptable concentrations for human consumption, thus precautions need to be taken in order to prevent future heavy metal contamination.