1. Heavy metal contamination in tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus collected from different fish markets of Mymensingh District

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine heavy metals viz; lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), and Cadmium (Cd) concentration in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) collected from different fish markets (Borobazar fish market, Shesmore fish market, Kamal-Ranjit market, Sutiakhali fish market, Machuabazar fish market and Shamvuganj fish market) of Mymensingh district from July 08, 2018 to January 15, 2019. After collection, electro-thermal heater digestion of the samples was carried out in Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Aquaculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and finally heavy metal concentrations were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) in the Interdisciplinary Institute for Food Security (IIFS) Laboratory, BAU. The average Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd concentrations (mg/kg) in the examined samples were 1.67 mg/kg, 118.68 mg/kg, 0.97 mg/kg, and 0.59 mg/kg, respectively. The average Arsenic concentrations in all tilapia samples were found to be below detectable limit (BDL). The study revealed that the average Zn and Cr concentration of tilapia flesh samples in Mymensingh were considerably higher than maximum recommended limit of World Health Organization (1989) and Food and Agricultural Organization (1983) and hence human health safety issues for the local consumer should be taken into consideration by the concerned authorities.