Abstract
This work investigates the metals concentration in the tissues of Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus. Five selected tissues, including liver, gill, bone, skin, and muscle were examined for the concentration of Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni. The concentrations of Cd and Pb were found high in the muscle tissues of the eels. Additionally, high amounts of Zn and Cu metals were observed in the liver, whereas the Cd, Pb, and Ni metals were highly detected in gill. The accumulation of Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Ni in both skin and bone of the eel seems to vary between seasons. Low levels of Zn, Cu, and Ni were identified in the muscle tissues of the eels. This study revealed that the concentration of Cd and Pb in the muscle tissues of Asian swamp eels exceeded the permissible limits by the US EPA, suggesting the consumption of the muscle may be hazardous and can severely affect one’s health.
Highlights
This work investigates the metals concentration in the tissues of Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus
This study revealed that the concentration of Cd and Pb in the muscle tissues of Asian swamp eels exceeded the permissible limits by the US eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), suggesting the consumption of the muscle may be hazardous and can severely affect one’s health
Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus or known as ‘paddy eel’ by the locals, had been chosen as the subject, considering that it is widely consumed amidst the Kelantanese community
Summary
This work investigates the metals concentration in the tissues of Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus. One cannot deny that paddying, an agricultural activity has contributed to a high number of hazardous waste In this case, the existence of pesticides, such as apple snail (Pomacea sp), is regarded to be very damaging to the harvest[5]. Since fish is a main source of food consumed by human beings[4], it is expected that a high amount of heavy metals is likely to accumulate in their body tissues. This continuous exposure to heavy metals is believed to inflict the human body with acute diseases, where the assimilation of heavy metals is one of the causes of cancer[11]. The high concentrations of Zn may cause health problems such as skin irritations, vomiting, and stomach cramps[12,13], while, too much of Ni could lead to cancer of lungs and kidney[12,14]
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