Seasonal determination of heavy metals in muscle, gill and liver tissues of Nile tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus(Linnaeus, 1758) from the tributary of the Ganga River, India

Abstract

Aquatic biota is contaminated with heavy metals as a result of anthropogenic activities and industrialization. Heavy metals, that is copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), were analysed in Oreochromis niloticus collected from the Gomti River at Lucknow and Jaunpur sites, India, from 2011 to 2012. Accumulation of heavy metals was estimated in different tissues of tilapia. At both study sites (Lucknow and Jaunpur), metal accumulation in different tissues of this fish was found to be in the following order: Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu in muscles, Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu in gills and Pb > Cr > Cu > Zn in liver. However, it was established that the level of heavy metals in all fish organs at the Lucknow site (except Pb and Zn in gills) was higher. The determined bioconcentration factor of heavy metals in different fish organs at the Lucknow site was as follows: Cu (26.5), Cr (38.33), Pb (52.33), Zn (23.41) in muscles, Cu (36.5), Cr (56.33), Pb (95.66) and Zn (31.66) in gills and Cu (381.50), Cr (367.33), Pb (410...