Metals in Fish along the Southeast Coast of India

Abstract

Metal concentrations (cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, copper, manganese, zinc and mercury) in the muscle of five fish species (Epinephelus chlorostigma, Lutjanus russelli, Terapon jarbua, Cynoglossus arel and Lagocephalus lunaris) from the six fish landing centres along southeast coast of India were measured. In Cuddalore and Mudasalodai, the level of toxic metals cadmium, chromium and manganese were well above the permissible limits. Concentrations of cadmium, chromium, manganese and mercury in C. arel were above the permissible limit and it is consistent with their habitat and diet. The results showed a relationship between metal concentrations and pollution status of the areas.

Content of Hg, Cd, Pb and as in fish species: a review

“…Other characteristics are also determinant for biota metalscontent, as pointed out by Velusamy et al in their Mumbay Bay (India) findings, with higher trace metal accumulation in demersal fish followed by neritic and pelagic fish (88). Additionally, aquatic ecosystem environmental conditions like the level of contamination, increase metal concentrations due to fish susceptibility to toxic substances present in water, as stated by Thiyagarajan et al, on their studies in different zones on the southwest coast of India related to high populations and industrial effluents as the main metal contamination sources in coastal waters (55).…”

“…Levels of Hg, Cd, Pb and As in water bodies determine significantly the content of these elements in fish tissues (55,93), therefore it's not enough with only know characteristics such as species, age and size of the fish, but also take into account these metal releases from natural and anthropogenic sources into marine ecosystems. Although exist reports of the metals concentration in several oceans from the world, more studies about their distribution in the water bodies are required to understand the metals behavior in marine currents, allow the development of models for measuring the relationship between emission sites and reception regions (94,95).…”

“…in muscle was generally lower than 0.1 μg Cd/g of wet weight (46,(54)(55)(56)58), excepting the Gulf of Mexico, where Cd content in muscle was 0.206 + 0.08 μg Cd/g of wet weight in S. cavalla, although this study found a significant correlation between the size of S. cavalla and liver Cd levels; a correlation between the size of S. cavalla and muscle Cd content was not found (11). The study conducted by Saei-Dehkordi and Fallah (58) in the Persian Gulf, found differences between the muscle Cd concentrations in S. Commerson during summer and winter seasons, 0.053 + 0.035 and 0.102 + 0.048 μg Cd/g of wet weight, respectively; the high Cd muscle levels during the winter are attributed to metal precipitation in the water due to the rainy season (58,72).…”

The effects of age and individual size on metal accumulation of Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) from Mersin Bay, Turkey

“…In the literature, there has been no study of Pb levels of L. sceleratus; however, Thiyagarajan et al, (2012) reported that the levels of Pb were below the limits of L. lunaris found in the same genus with L. sceleratus. Turan et al, (2009) reported Pb levels of different fish species caught in the Iskenderun Bay between 0.06 and 0.56 (μg g-1 dw).…”

Untitled

“…For the Pb level, it was determined to be below Turkish Food Codex (TFC, 2011), FAO (1983) and European Commission (EC, 2001) legal limits in all four seasons. Thiyagarajan, Dhaneesh, Kumar, Kumaresan and Balasubramanian (2012) reported Pb levels in pufferfish belonging to the species Lagocephalus lunaris was below legal limits. It is thought that this might be the result of the region, due to high levels of maritime activity and industrial waste dumping in the Mersin Bay.…”