Metal accumulation in aquaculture organisms of southwest coast of Taiwan

Abstract

Aquatic organisms can easily accumulate heavy metals via water and sediment. The aim of this study was to analyze heavy metals distributions of water, sediment and organisms of the thirteen aquaculture ponds at the southwest coast of Taiwan. To evaluate accumulate metals ability of organisms through calculating the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF). The concentration of heavy metals was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The heavy metal concentration found in fish and clam tissues were lower than the Sanitation Standard for Aquatic Animal of Taiwan. Results indicated higher Zn BCF values in fish, higher Cr BCF values in hard clam, with an average of 1544 and 1272, respectively. The BSAF value for Zn and Cu was significantly higher than the rest of the metals, with an average of 0.047 and 0.35 in fish and hard clam, respectively. The level of heavy metals in the water, sediments, and the organism tissues were below that of the permissible limits issued by the government. Therefore, fishes and clams from the aquaculture pond located in the southwest coast of Taiwan may not be harmful to consumers.