Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there are any significant toxic effects of the widely exposed metals on different organs (gill, liver, kidney, and muscle) of some commercially important marine fish species (Herpodon nehereus, Pampus chinensis and Hilsa ilisha). Study Design: The collection of the samples was done from January to March 2018 from Bay of Bengal near Chattogram city of Bangladesh. The study is based on randomly collected samples from the intended sampling sites (Randomized Block Design) to ensure the evenness and unbiases of the collected samples. Methodology: Analyses were performed for metals such as arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). During each month, five individuals each with three replications from the three targeted species were collected, with a total of 135 (45*3) fishes in the study period. Results: The concentrations of the metals found in the fishes varied in the following ranges: As: 0.029-0.071 ppm, Pb: 0.008-0.083 ppm and Cr: 0.0001-0.03 ppm. The obtained result revealed the highest concentrations of all three metals were recorded in H.nehereus fish. The organ wise lead concentration was recorded highest in kidneys and gills of examined fishes with significant variation in muscles and liver. The scenario depicted quite differently in case of chromium where concentration in gills was found to be the highest with insignificant variation in accumulation in other three organs. In case of Arsenic, kidneys and livers were the most exposed two organs in comparison to significant exposure to muscles and gills. The obtained values of arsenic accumulation were considered critical for human consumption as it was higher than the recommended values stated by WHO and FAO; but the concentration of lead and chromium were found to be safe for human consumption. The values recorded for lead were increasingly approached to the safety values. Conclusion: So, crucial steps should be taken regarding safety and environmentally friendly discharge of arsenic and lead; high levels of pollution will not only affect aquatic life but will also invite socio-economic disasters.

Soybean oil and palm oil are the most preferred vegetable oils in the world. The aim of the study was the correlative and qualitative appraisement of the edible vegetable oils available in Bangladesh. Five brands of soybean and one brand of palm oil were comparatively assessed to select which one was better for edible purpose. In this study the quality of the edible oils was analyzed by evaluating some physicochemical attributes such as specific gravity, color and odor, moisture content, acid value, saponification value, iodine value and peroxide value using standard methods. A significant difference (P<0.05) was found in all characteristic parameters of different oil samples. The study expressed the following properties as ranged values for soybean oils and single value for palm oil: Iodine value (82.34±0.633 –108.63±0.96 g I2/100 g; 45.68±0.604 g I2/100 g), Saponification value (182.33±2.670–197.39±1.987 mg KOH/g; 203.68±2.346 mg KOH/g), Acid value (0.33±0.06–0.57±0.03 mg KOH/g; 1.07±0.07 mg KOH/g), Peroxide value (1.13±0.01–1.96±0.006 meq O2/kg; 1.09±0.02 meq O2/kg), Moisture content (0.30±0.005–0.63±0.026%; 0.65±0.015%), specific gravity (0.88±0.15–0.94±0.07 g/ml; 0.91±0.03 g/ml). Taking consideration of all parameters the study concluded that Rupchanda and Fresh soybean oil had superior quality than other samples. Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2018, 3 (2), 156-161

Heavy metal contamination of fish is a global safety concern for the consumers. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used to measure the concentration of three HMs (As, Pb, and Cr) in two commercially farmed fish species that are widely consumed: Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia) and Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (pangasius). This investigation was done to determine whether there was any potential health risk. The concentration of the studied heavy metals was within standard acceptable limits. As, Cr, and Pb had respective mean concentrations of 0.037 ± 0.023 mg/kg, 0.005 ± 0.002 mg/kg and 0.029 ± 0.015 mg/kg in the case of tilapia; and 0.049 ± 0.017 mg/kg, 0.007 ± 0.005 mg/kg and 0.024 ± 0.009 mg/kg, respectively, in the case of pangasius. Hierarchical clustering revealed that As may come through seepage and groundwater, while Cr and Pb are the products of contaminated feeds. ALP and ATPase activity varied significantly amongst the fishes' various organs. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that the current concentration of HMs in tilapia and pangasius was insufficient to predict enzymatic activity except for ALP in pangasius gill. The results of calculations for estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR) indices made it abundantly evident that eating the fish under study posed no significant harm to the consumers' health. In conclusion, the contamination level of farmed tilapia and pangasius sold in the study area was within the permissible limit, however regular monitoring is needed to assure safe production.

Fourteen tropical fruit items were collected from different industrial sites of the Dhaka and Chattogram region, Bangladesh todetermine toxic heavy metal contents. This study aimed at the assessment of the distribution of heavy metals (As, Pb and Cr) as wellas comparison of their level among different locations. The fruit items were analyzed for the quantification of the selected heavymetals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The range of lead, chromium and arsenic in the fruit items were 1.12± 0.077 to 2.899 ± 0.013, 0 to 0.217 ± 0.005 and 0 to 0.078 ± 0.002 mg kg-1 respectively. It was revealed from the results that thelevel of toxic metals (As, Cr) in almost all fruit samples were within tolerable limit whereas the level of Pd in all of the fruit samplesexceeded the acceptable limits of WHO standard value. It was also observed from the results obtained that the concentration of themetals found in the samples from Dhaka regions were considerably higher than that of Chattogram. These metal contributors mainlyarising from anthropogenic sources including industrial wastes, automobile emissions, use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides inagriculture, paints, sewage and waste disposal. The extended level of these metals causing environmental pollution is hazardous sinceplants accumulate them. Subsequently, crops uptaking these heavy metals consumed by humans and animals which is detrimental tohealth. It is therefore very important that necessary actions need to be taken to monitor the level of these deleterious elements in foodplants. In decision making, planning and risk assessing this present study will play significant role. Dhaka Univ. J. Sci. 70(1): 22-27, 2022 (January)

Aims: The present study was carried out to determine the concentration of heavy metals and to evaluate whether there are any serious toxic effects of the widely exposed heavy metals namely arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) in different tissues of two commercially important cultured fish Rohu (Labeo rohita) and Catla (Gibelion catla) Study Design: The study was designed based on Randomized Block Design (RBD) to avoid all kinds of possible biases as well as for ensuring the representation of different fish farms. Three replications were maintained to deal with the possible errors caused by sampling. Methodology: Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As) and Chromium (Cr) were analyzed in a graphite furnace (GBCGF 3000 with Zeeman background corrector) with an auto sampler using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). ALP (alkaline phosphates) activity of liver, Kidney and muscle was assayed using the standard method stated by Garen and Levinthal (1960) [1]. ATPase enzyme activity was determined to follow the standard method stated by Post and Sen (1967) [2]. During each month, ten individuals of the targeted two species each incorporating with three replications were collected from four intended fish farms, with a total of 240 fishes in the study period. Results: The obtained results stated the highest concentrations of all heavy metals (except arsenic) were recorded in Rohu fish with no significant difference with the other investigated fish species Catla. Organ wise heavy metal concentrations in Rohu (Labeo rohita) fish showed that Lead (Pb) concentrations were higher in all organs compared to other investigated heavy metals. The recorded values of Pb in gills, livers, kidneys, and muscles were 0.021, 0.021, 0.028 and 0.008 ppm respectively. In case of Arsenic (As), the highest concentration was recorded in kidneys while the Chromium (Cr) showed higher accumulation in the muscles. While it comes to Catla (Gibelion catla) fish, similar results were demonstrated where Lead (Pb) concentration was the highest and Chromium (Cr) concentration was lowest. Among all the three heavy metals, the accumulation trend of Arsenic (As) was found highest in gills of Catla (Gibelion catla) but Lead (Pb) and Chromium (Cr) were accumulated in high concentration in kidneys of the same species. The average concentration of different heavy metals in the two investigated fishes were lower than the standard recommended value (0.01ppm) except for Arsenic (As) in Catla (Gibelion catla) which was 0.013ppm. Enzymatic activities like ATPase and ALP were recorded highest in kidney tissue and the lowest in muscle in case of both fish species. Conclusion: Even though the average values of Arsenic in Catla (G. catla) fish was slightly higher than the recommended value suggested by WHO [3], the concentration is lower in edible part muscle which in turn indicates that the cultured Rohu (L. rohita) and Catla fishes in the Chattogram region are safe for human consumption.