ANALYSIS OF HEAVY METAL LEVELS IN MUDFISH (Clarias gariepineus) ) IN ITU RIVER, AKWA IBOM STATE, SOUTHERN NIGERIA

ETIM E.E.¹, ANDREW C.², USHIE O.A.³, LAWAL U.^4
1Department of Chemical Sciences, Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.
²Department of Chemical Sciences, Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.
³Department of Chemical Sciences, Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.
⁴Department of Chemical Sciences, Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.

Received : 03-11-2013     Accepted : 03-12-2013     Published : 26-12-2013
Volume : 3     Issue : 1       Pages : 16 - 18
Bioinfo Environ Pollut 3.1 (2013):16-18

The concentration level of lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), and Chromium (Cr) were determined in Mudfish (Clarias gariepineus) muscle from three different stations; Station I (up stream), Station II (middle stream) and Station III (down stream) along Nwaniba beach in Uruan Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State. Heavy metal concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The analysis of heavy metals in the fish (muscle) indicates that among the five heavy metals tested, Fe was maximally accumulated and the mean concentrations decreased in the order of Fe(8.050)> Cr(2.667) >Pb(1.364)>Cd(0.472)>Ni(0.187) in mg/L. The same trend of metals levels were observed in the three stations. The mean levels of all these metals exceeded the standards limits set by Federal Ministry of Environment (FME), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). Thus, the muscle tissue of fish collected from the studied area in Nwaniba beach may pose health risk to consumers, as individuals are at the higher risk of ingestion of toxic metals at intolerable levels since the concentration of metals analyzed exceeded the maximum acceptable values stipulated by international bodies.