engleski

Heavy metal accumulation (lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) in muscles of five fish species in the Neretva River, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Metals reach water from various sources, mostly from industrial, agricultural and urban waste. Due to their ability to accumulate in the water and sediment, heavy metals in high concentrations become toxic for all living organisms. Water contamination with metals may result in their accumulation in fish which can be dangerous source of metals reaching humans by consumption. The purpose of our research was to determine heavy metal concentration (lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) in muscles of five fish species (brown trout- Salmo trutta m. fario, Neretvan softmouth trout- Salmothymus obtusirostris oxyrhynchus, toothtrout- Salmo dentex, European chub- Squalius cephalus and Adriatic Dace- Squalius svallize) in the Neretva river from Mostar to Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as possible differences between fish species according to heavy metal accumulation ability. Neretva is the largest river of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. It has been harnessed and controlled to a large extent by four hydroelectric power-plants with large dams and their storage lakes. The Neretva basin contains the most significant portion of fresh drinking water despite receiving some organic and industrial effluents directly affecting the ichthyofauna. Ten fish of all sorts were angled from four sample points. Heavy metal concentration was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the Veterinary Institute Brno, Czech Republic, and expressed as mg/kg of wet tissue. Metal concentrations of all analyzed fish types were lower than the maximal allowed concentration (MAC) in most countries. Therefore, fish types in this part of Neretva river may be included in human diet. Toothtrout shows highest metal accumulation (As 0, 131 mg/kg), and brown trout the lowest (Cd 0, 039 mg/kg). We concluded that piscivorus fish accumulated much more metal than omnivorus and planktivorus ones.

heavy metals ; fish ; Neretva river

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