Author(s): Yusuf Oluwafisayo Azeez, Henry Adefisayo Adewole, Victor Folorunsho Olaleye and Saanu Emmanuel Koseemani

Abstract: The concentrations of selected heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, lead, arsenic and zinc) in the water and fillet of native fish species in Saba River, Osogbo were assessed. Water and fish samples were collected fortnightly for a period of six months, and their heavy metals concentration were analysed for the selected metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Heavy metal analyses in the water and fish fillet samples revealed that the concentration of zinc was highest amongst the selected metals assayed in both the water and fish fillet. The cadmium and lead concentration of the water samples (19.0 - 38.5 µg/L) were found to be above recommended regulatory acceptable limits of 3 µg/L for cadmium and 20 µg/L for lead of WHO and FEPA while the cadmium level in the fillets of all the four fish species assayed (13.17 µg/g and 24.83 µg/g) and the lead concentration in the fillet of T. zillii (21.33 µg/g) were above the recommended acceptable limits of 1 µg/g per day in fish for cadmium and 20 µg/g for lead of WHO and FEPA. The study concluded that the metallic ion concentration in the water samples from Saba River indicated that the river was polluted and also negatively impacted the fish fillet quality raising human health consumption safety issues.

Pages: 27-31  |  1187 Views  115 Downloads

Download Full Article: Click Here