Determination of heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Pb and Hg) content in Capoeta fusca from Lar wetland, Zahedan, Iran

This study examined the concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium, zinc, lead, and mercury) and their potential health risks for consumers in the muscle and gill tissues of Capoeta fusca, collected from Lar wetland in Sistan and Baluchestan province. Thirty samples were collected and heavy metal levels in samples were analyzed by ICP-OES atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer, Model; Optima DV 2000). Mercury content was measured by Atomic Adsorption method (nova 400P, analytic jena) hydride production technique. The concentration of cadmium was lower than the detection limit (0/05 mg/kg) of the atomic absorption spectrophotometer, so its concentration was not reported in the study. The results showed that the amount of Lead in gill tissue is significantly higher than that of muscle tissue, and the concentration of zinc in muscle tissue is higher than that of gill. The mercury concentrations of muscle and gill tissues are not significantly different from each other. The accumulation of heavy metals in the samples follows this pattern: zinc lead mercury. The concentration of lead in the muscle of C. fusca is higher than the international standards. Therefore, among the investigated metals, the main risk for human health can be related to the amount of lead in fish samples, which can be transmitted to humans directly after consuming fish. The relatively high concentration of heavy metals in the studied fish is probably due to the entry of the wastewater of Zahedan city into the Lar lagoon.