Bioaccumulation of Cadmium, Copper, and Lead in Edible Tissues of Clarias gariepinus and Oreochromis niloticus from Anwai River, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63561/jacsr.v2i4.1020Keywords:
Water Pollution, Heavy Metal, Aquatic habitat, Anwai River, Oreochromis niloticus, Clarias gariepinusAbstract
Environmental pollution is a continuous threat to the quality of aquatic habitats for plants and animals. This study aims to evaluate the concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Cu, and Pb) in the flesh, liver, gills, and stomach of Clarias gariepinus and Oreochromis niloticus collected from the Anwai River, South-South Nigeria. Ten fish, each of both species measuring 17.25±1.70cm and 19.42±2.36cm respectively, were obtained and analysed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The collected data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the 5% significance level. Results revealed that Lead concentrations were highest in all organs of the fish species, while the concentration of Cadmium was least. Heavy metals were lower in Oreochromis niloticus than in Clarias gariepinus. The concentrations of the metals investigated in both cases ranged from 0.09 mg/kg to 4.56 mg/kg and were far above regulatory permissible limits set by international standards, such as those of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The results of this study may indicate heavy metal pollution in the Anwai River and highlight the possible risk of eating fish from the river. Therefore, continuous evaluation of the Anwai River’s pollution levels is necessary to reduce it through effective campaigns and sensitisation.
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