Abstract
Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) are one of the greatest threats to
aquatic biota for their persistence, bioaccumulation and biomagnification across the globe.This
study presents the first hand data of toxic trace metals in edible fish muscles, sediments and water
sampled from Head Punjnad (HP), Pakistan during 2017. The likely reason for the selection
of HP as a study target was its emergent prominence as an irrigation hub and holidaymakers
spot largely for angling and feasting. The investigated five fish species are Ctenopharyngodon
idella, Oreochromis niloticus, Eutropiichthys vacha, Rita rita and Sperata sarwari. The results
divulged the pattern of metals concentration in fish in the order of Cd > As > Hg. However,
R. rita, O. niloticus and C. idella showed higher accumulation of the metals that clearly alluded
to species-linked metal bioaccumulation, which might be due to their unique feeding mood.
Cadmium presence ranged between 0.04 – 1.12 ppm while As and Hg fluctuated between 0.01
– 0.04 and 0.001 - 0.18 ppm, respectively. Conversely, higher bioaccumulation was detected in
gills rather than the muscle tissues that evidently indicated gradual water quality degradation
conceiving higher metal concentrations in the environment. Similarly, a higher concentration
of Cd was observed in water (0.78 ppm) and sediment (0.64 ppm) samples. In acquiescence to
the above-given outcomes, the metal concentration hierarchical arrangement in sediment and
water was identical to the witnessed in fish species (Cd > As > Hg). In conclusion, this study
established that selected metals level in HP water and sediments displayed levels higher than
the permissible limits. However, As and Hg remained lower than the international guidelines
for sediments. Cd showing the higher levels in edible tissues may produce toxic effects in the
fish and its consumers, therefore, it is not safe to consume these studied fish species from Head
Punjnad.
Saeed Fatima, Khalid Javed Iqbal, Usman Atique, Arshad Javid, Noor Khan, Sonia Iqbal, Hamid Majeed, Hamda Azmat, Bakhat Yawar Ali Khan, Irfan, Gulnaz Afzal, Muhammad Tausif Shahid. (2020) Toxic Trace Metals Assessment in Selected Organs of Edible Fish Species, Sediment and Water in Head Punjnad, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab University Journal of Zoology, Volume 35, Issue 1.
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