Lead Levels in Large Scale Mullet Tissues from Two Rivers in Nigeria

by Open Science Repository Veterinary Medicine
(September 2013)

Abstract

Large scale mullet (Liza grandisquamis, Valenciennces 1836) samples were taken from Escravos and Forcados rivers. Detection of lead in tissue using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) varied depending on body weights, gender and the two rivers had different levels of lead in tissues. The detection percentage trend was muscle > kidney > gonad > brain > fin. In both rivers, the muscles consistently had the lowest concentration of lead, and there was no significant correlation between the body weight and concentration of lead in all tissues examined. The results suggests the possibility of using fish tissues such as the muscles, kidney, gonad, brain or fin of Liza grandisquamis between body weight of 28.00 g and 39.00 g and the muscle of female Liza grandisquamis between the body weight of 48.00 g and 113.00 g for Liza grandisquamis, as a good bioassay indicator for detecting and comparing the impact of lead aquatic pollution and long term biomonitoring of the freshwater and marine ecosystem.

Keywords: lead, Liza grandisquamis, tissues, pollution, atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS).

Full text

Lead Levels in Large Scale Mullet Tissues from Two Rivers in Nigeria