Abstract: (6426 Views)
Background and purpose: Aquatic ecosystems are important sources of food for human which are sometimes highlycontaminated. It is important to determine their levels of contaminations, so, in this study, theconcentrations of lead, cadmium and nickel was investigated in the gills and musclesof Barbusxanthopterus captured from Dez River, Iran.
Materials and methods: Thirty samples of Barbusxanthopterus were captured from the central basin of Dez River using gillnet. The tissues were isolated, and the samples were digested. The concentrations of lead, cadmium and nickel were measured using a PE-4100 graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer.
Results: The levels of lead, cadmium and nickel in gills were 0.322 ± 0.006, 0.182 ±0.006, and 0.004 ± 0.219, respectively. The concentration of these metals in muscle were 0.277 ± 0.014,
0.005 ± 0.0146, and 0.013 ± 0.165, respectively. Higher concentrations of heavy metals were found in gills. T-test revealed significant differences in the levels of nickel, lead, and cadmium between the gills and muscle.
Conclusion: According to thisresearchthe concentrations of studied metals were lower than the WHO standards.