Abstract
Aquatic organisms such as fish are prone to contamination by water pollutants such as heavy metals. This study aims at assessing the levels of heavy metals in the fillet tissues of 75 fish samples comprising Clarias gariepinus (Catfish), Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) and Chrysichthys nigroditatus (Bagrid catfish) from five (5) different fishing locations along the Ogun River, Ogun State. The fillet tissues of the fish samples were digested and analysed for Zn, Pb, Fe, Cr and Cd using a Perkin Elmer, AAnalyst – 200 Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The concentration of Zn in Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis niloticus and Chrysichthys nigroditatus were 5.37±2.558, 6.58±2.35 and 5.11±1.55 respectively; while the levels of Pb in the species were Clarias gariepinus (1.30±3.099), Oreochromis niloticus (1.01±0.95) and Chrysichthys nigroditatus (0.35±0.59). Concentrations of Fe, Cr and Cd in the species were Clarias gariepinus (8.87±3.547, 0.08±0.098 and 0.09±0.100), Oreochromis niloticus (8.96±2.21, 0.12±0.11 and 0.11±0.11) and Chrysichthys nigroditatus (8.16±3.88, 0.11±0.11 and 0.11±0.11). The data revealed that most of these values were lower than FAO/WHO permissible except Pb and Cr. Some of the fish sampled may pose health hazards to the consumers. There is a need for constant monitoring of pollutants in Ogun River.
 Keywords: Heavy metals, Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis niloticus, Chrysichthys nigroditatus, Ogun River
Highlights
The modern societies are faced with serious concerns about some global environmental challenges; developing countries in particular currently experience growing and complex pollution problems
Ogun State has a larger number of industries in Nigeria and the discharge of wastewater from these industries may have an impact on the chemical characteristics of Ogun River, which is the main river in Ogun State, and on the quality of fish in this river
Clarias gariepinus (Catfish), Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) and Chrysichthys nigroditatus (Bagrid catfish) are very common in Ogun River (Iji and Adeogun, 2014); and some consumers have a preference for these (Unyimadu et al, 2018a,b)
Summary
The modern societies are faced with serious concerns about some global environmental challenges; developing countries in particular currently experience growing and complex pollution problems. Apart from the fact that fish may be used as an indicator of chemical contaminants in rivers, its safety for consumption as being sourced from major rivers in Nigeria should be assessed. Clarias gariepinus (Catfish), Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) and Chrysichthys nigroditatus (Bagrid catfish) are very common in Ogun River (Iji and Adeogun, 2014); and some consumers have a preference for these (Unyimadu et al, 2018a,b). Investigating these fish species for the levels of heavy metals is necessary. The objective of this research was to evaluate and report the levels of Zn, Pb, Fe, Cr and Cd in Clarias gariepinus (Catfish), Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) and Chrysichthys nigroditatus (Bagrid catfish) collected from Ogun River in Ogun State, Nigeria
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