Journal of Natural Environment

Journal of Natural Environment

Determination of Heavy Metal Content in the Tiger-Toothed Croaker (Otolithes ruber): A Case Study in Bandar-e Mahshahr

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Neamatollah Khorasani 1
Seyed Mehdi Hosseini 2
Hadi Poorbagher 3
Seyed Vali Hosseini 3
Fereidoon Aflaki 4
1 Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
2 Department of Environment, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
3 Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj PO Box 4314, Iran
4 Environmental laboratory, Nuclear Science Research School, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jne.2013.35850
Abstract
Heavy metal (HMs) pollution of aquatic environment has become a great concern in recent years. Because of their toxicity and accumulative behavior of HMs, they can make different changes in aquatic environment. HMs can enter from contaminated water into fish body by different routes and accumulate in organisms. Since, commercial aquatic animals, such as fish, are highly consumed by human being and may accumulate large amounts of some metals from the water. It is important to determine the concentration of HMs in them in order to evaluate the possible risk of their consumption for human health. This study was conducted to determine the distribution of several types of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the muscle of Tiger-toothed croaker (Otolithes ruber) caught in Bandar-e Mahshahr which is located in the north western Persian Gulf Coast of Iran (N 33º 33´. 32", E 49º 11´ 53"). Heavy metal concentrations were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and results showed that with the exceptional Ni and Cd, the concentrations of other HMs analyzed in fish sampled are lower than the threshold values described in literature (i.e., WHO). 
Keywords
Bioaccumulation
Heavy metals
Persian Gulf
Tiger-toothed croaker (Otolithes ruber)
Journal of Natural Environment
Volume 66, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Summer 2013
Pages 181-190