Heavy Metals Resides in Commercially Imported Seafood

Abstract

Fish is considered to be healthy food, because they have high protein and low saturated fat contents. At the same time, it may constitute a heavy metals residues above the permissible limits causing sever public health hazards to consumers. Therefore, the concentration levels of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc were determined in Saurida undosquamis, Scomber scombrus and Oreochromis niloticus samples randomly collected from Ismailia city fish markets. The mean cadmium residual levels in S. undosquamis, S. Scombrus and O. niloticus samples were 0.10, 0.31 and 0.52 mg/kg respectively. The mean copper residual levels in S. undosquamis, S. Scombrus and O. niloticus samples were 1.12, 1.61 and 0.36 mg/kg respectively. The mean lead residual levels in S. undosquamis, S. Scombrus and O. niloticus samples were 0.12, 0.21 and 1.22 mg/kg respectively. The mean zinc residual levels in S. undosquamis, S. Scombrus and O. niloticus samples were 40.30, 65.32 and 29.05 mg/kg respectively. High level of heavy metals in fish Sample which exceeded the permissible limits could produce hazard effect on human health. So it is important to protect consumer from this hazard effect of heavy metals by strict application of the following measures, the potential sources of heavy metals to the fish in the aquatic system should be identified and quantified and periodically monitoring program must be carried out to evaluate the heavy metals residual levels in fish.