Abstract
This investigation analyzed the concentrations of three trace metals in gilled lungfish of Lira Municipal lagoon of Lira District and estimated the health risk associated with its consumption. Three fresh lungfish samples from the down, middle and up sluices of the lagoon were caught, eviscerated, washed and sundried. Edible muscles of the samples were oven dried at 105°C, desiccated and pulverized. 2.0 ± 0.1g of the fine fish powders were ashed at 550°C, acid digested, and the filtrates used to prepare 1 litre sample solutions. The sample solutions were analyzed for Lead, Zinc and Cadmium by Atomic absorption spectrometry. Spectroscopic results showed that no Cadmium was detected while the statistical mean concentrations of Zinc and Lead in the fishes from down, middle and up streams in mg/kg were 157.8 ± 0.01, 160.2 ± 0.02, 158.2 ± 0.01 and 6.84 ± 0.01, 1.69 ± 0.03, 5.12 ± 0.01 respectively. The above results showed that the trace metals in the investigated fish samples are deleteriously above the maximum permissible Zinc (0.7mg/kg) and Lead (0.3mg/kg) levels in fish indicated by CODEX STAN 193-1995. The statistical Estimated Daily Intakes were from 26.27 to 26.66 mg/kg/day for Zinc and 0.28 to 1.48 mg/kg/day for Lead. A heightened Health Risk Index value of 88.67 for Zinc was observed in the middle stream lungfish samples while Lead had the lowest Health Risk Index value of 2.00 in the middle stream fish from the lagoon. All the Health Risk Index values were greater than unity except for Chromium that was undetected in the fish muscles thus the lungfish of the lagoon is unsafe for human consumption and continuous consumption will impact human health. The immediate strategy lies in fencing the lagoon area and putting a stringent restriction against fishing from the lagoon.
Highlights
Lira is one of the heavily industrialized nascent cities in Northern Uganda characterized by multifold anthropogenic activities due to its voluminous production of sunflower (Helianthus annus), maize (Zea mays L.), simsim (Sesamum indicum), cassava (Manihot esculenta), sand and clay mining, Timothy Omara et al.: Spectroscopic Analysis of Selected Priority Trace Metals in the Extant East African Gilled
The lagoon waste stream is composed of solid and liquid wastes from domestic waste water sinks, street cleanings, leather, wastes from local people carrying out crude waragi distillation, textiles, grey water, medical wastes from hospital washrooms, washed away paints, preserved woods and wood shavings, rubber, glass, surface runoffs, industrial effluents, fossil wastes from automobile exhausts and service stations, milling activities near the sewage site, corrosions from drainage pipes, agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, wearing of machinery, dead lead accumulators and dust [2] which may reasonably contain heavy metals
The results of the study showed that Zinc had the highest concentration in the Lungfish samples investigated followed by Lead while Cadmium was below the detection limit
Summary
Lira is one of the heavily industrialized nascent cities in Northern Uganda characterized by multifold anthropogenic activities due to its voluminous production of sunflower (Helianthus annus), maize (Zea mays L.), simsim (Sesamum indicum), cassava (Manihot esculenta), sand and clay mining, Timothy Omara et al.: Spectroscopic Analysis of Selected Priority Trace Metals in the Extant East African Gilled. Lungfish (Protopterus Amphibius) in Lira Municipal Lagoon and Its Edibility Health Risk crude waragi making and natural endowment with Shea butter (Vitellaria nilotica). These accentuated a swift population increase following the two-decade rebel and heterodox Christian insurgency of the Lords Resistance Army and Karimojong incursions that culminated in an increased volume of approximated 110 tons per day of wastes generated [1]. The wastes of LML is a potential source of heavy metals yet there is illegal fishing out of the lungfish by the local people for consumption and sale
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