A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE ACCUMULATION OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN BLUEFIN TUNA (Euthynnus alletteratus) AND SARDINELLA (Sardinella aurita) IN THE COASTAL WATERS IN ZLITEN LIBYA
Keywords:
Heavy Metals, Accumulation, Sardinella aurita, Euthynnus alletteratus, Zliten Coast. LibyaAbstract
The toxicity of heavy metals and their accumulation in marine life make the most significant contaminants of the aquatic environment. These metals can build up in fish tissues in varying concentrations, whih can have a negative impact on human health if consumed in high quantities. Therefore, it is crucial to continuously evaluate the amounts of heavy metals in various fish species. Thus, the current study's aim was to examine the metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Hg) in the muscles, liver, gills, and gonad of round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) and bluefin tuna (Euthynnus alletteratus) that were collected in the Zliten Coast, Libya. The Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to measure the concentrations of heavy metals. The findings revealed that the amounts of heavy metals in the two fish tissues varied significantly and were arranged as follows: Zn > Cu > Pb > Hg > Cd. Furthermore, both fish species showed accumulation level of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Hg was the highest in liver followed by gills, gonads, and lastly muscles, whereas Zn followed the pattern from the gonads to the liver, gills, and muscles, respectively. Thus, the study concluded that the levels of heavy metals in muscle tissue were within the FAO and WHO-recommended tolerable limits for human health.
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