Marine Pollution Bulletin 119 (2017) 454–459

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Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Baseline

Toxic heavy metals in commercially important food fishes collected from

Palk Bay, Southeastern India
Abimannan Arulkumar a, Sadayan Paramasivam a,⁎, Rajendran Rajaram b
a
Department of Oceanography and Coastal Area Studies, School of Marine Sciences, Alagappa University, Thondi Campus, Thondi 623 409, Tamil Nadu, India
b
Department of Marine Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Toxic heavy metals are an important group of emerging chemical contaminants in seafood. Heavy metal concen-
Received 2 December 2016 trations in commercially important and most commonly eaten 10 fish species from Thondi fish landing, southeast
Received in revised form 18 March 2017 coast of India, were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentrations of heavy metals signifi-
Accepted 22 March 2017
cantly varied within and between the investigated fish species (P b 0.05). The results of this study showed best
Available online 4 April 2017
significant correlations among the toxic heavy metals in the fish samples. It was revealed that Cd, Pb, Cu, and
Keywords:
Zn metals were present in the fish samples at various levels. The residual levels of toxic heavy metals were less
Heavy metal than the permissible levels specified for human consumption by the European Union, Food and Agriculture Or-
Fish ganization and World Health Organization guidelines. Therefore, the fish species found in the Thondi fish landing
Thondi coast and their fishery products can be considered safe for human consumption and can be exported worldwide.
Contaminant © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fishes are considered as an important food source of macronutrients
(carbohydrates, animal protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and polyunsatu-
rated fatty acids) and micronutrients (copper, zinc, iron, and selenium)
for human health. Marine chemical contamination can increase the con-
centrations of toxic heavy metals in aquatic systems and thereby nega-
tively affect the fish health. Such heavy metal pollution can be caused by
different natural and anthropogenic sources, including agricultural
drainage, industrial effluent discharge, sewage discharge, accidental
chemical waste spills, and gasoline from fishing boats (Mishra et al.,
2007; Satheeshkumar and Kumar, 2011; Velusamy et al., 2014;
Mathivanan and Rajaram, 2014). The accumulation of heavy metals in
marine fishes depends on the environmental condition, season, loca-
tion, distribution, habitat preference, tropic level, feeding habit, age,
size, sex, duration of exposure to the metals, and homeostatic regulation
activity (Sankar et al., 2006). Accumulations of heavy metals were found
in the water and sediment columns, and these metals enter into the
food web through the feeding of benthic and pelagic species (Galay
Burgos and Rainbow, 2001).
Heavy metals such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) are im-
portant for fish metabolism, while mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium
(Cd), and other metals have unknown functions in their biological sys-
tem. Metabolic activity plays an important role in the bioaccumulation
of trace metals in marine organisms (Velusamy et al., 2014).
Sivaperumal et al. (2007) stated that the essential metals can also pro-
duce toxic effects at high residual concentrations. Only few metals
⁎ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: psivams@alagappauniversity.ac.in (S. Paramasivam).
with proven hazardous nature are to be completely excluded in food
for human consumption. Heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn are
the most common contaminants in fish and fishery products. Consump-
tion of elements such as Pb causes severe health risks such as fatigue, ir-
ritability, myalgia, coma, kidney, liver, and brain damage, seizures,
encephalopathy, nervous system dysfunction, and development of can-
cer. Cadmium toxicity caused Itai-Itai disease in Japan and can causes
bone disease, anosmia, yellow discoloration of the teeth, and loss of ol-
faction abilities (Sanders et al., 2009; Sankar and Ashok Kumar, 2014).
Various analytical methods have been developed for the determination
of heavy metals in fishes. The most widely used techniques are atomic
absorption spectrometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma optical
emission spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrome-
try, X-ray fluorescence, particle-induced X-ray emission, total reflection
X-ray fluorescence, neutron activation analysis, atomic fluorescence
spectrometry, ion chromatography, and immunoassay (Sivaperumal et
al., 2007; Sankar and Ashok Kumar, 2014; Velusamy et al., 2014;
El-Moselhy et al., 2014; Kulawik et al., 2016).
Marine fish and fishery products constitute an important diet of
human food, and it is therefore not surprising that abundant reports
are available on toxic heavy metal contamination in different marine
edible fish species (Mitral et al., 2000; Sankar et al., 2006; Sivaperumal
et al., 2007; Prabhu Dass Batvari et al., 2008; Uysal et al., 2008; Prabhu
Dass Batvari et al., 2012; Akan et al., 2012; Kumar et al., 2012; Murthy
et al., 2013; Heidarieh et al., 2013; Javed and Usmani, 2013; Usha and
Vikram Reddy, 2013; Elnabris et al., 2013; El-Moselhy et al., 2014;
Kulawik et al., 2016; Velusamy et al., 2014). Seafood is the most pre-
ferred food worldwide, and it is important to study the bioaccumulation

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.03.045
0025-326X/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 A. Arulkumar et al. / Marine Pollution Bulletin 119 (2017) 454–459
of heavy metals in commercially and economically important fish and
fishery products. Toxic heavy metal residues can be hazardous to
human health, and it often becomes mandatory to screen the chem-
ical contaminants in fish and fishery products from the aquatic en-
vironment to understand their potential health effects. Therefore,
this study aimed to determine the levels of toxic heavy metal resi-
dues (Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn) in the muscle tissues of 10 marine fish
species.
Fish samples used in this study were collected from Thondi, Palk Bay,
Southeast Coast of India (latitude: 9° 44′ N and longitude: 79° 00′ E)
(Fig. 1). The water quality parameters like pH, atmospheric tempera-
ture, surface water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and levels
of phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen, and ammonia were mea-
sured using the standard procedures (APHA, 1998; AWWA, 1998;
WEF, 1998). Fishes were caught during April–May 2016 using trawl
net. The net was trawled approximately 30–50 min in the direction op-
posite to the water current. After trawling, the fishnet was lifted on to
the boat and finfish, shrimps, crabs, and cuttle fish were segregated.
Fig. 1. Study Area of Thondi, Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India.
455
They were collected from fishermen and packed into HiMedia polyeth-
ylene bags (HiMedia Mumbai, India). Fish samples were stored in a
deep freezer (−20 °C) prior to analysis.
The concentration levels of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn were analyzed accord-
ing to the European Standards. One gram of homogenized fish sample
was added to a mixed reagent of nitric acid, perchloric acid, and sulfuric
acid at a ratio of 5:2:1. Mineralization was performed on a hot plate at
50 °C for 30 min. After the end of digestion, 10 ml of 2 N HCl was
added; digested solutions were filtered and made up to 25 ml with dou-
ble distilled water and stored at room temperature for further analysis
(FAO/SIDA, 1983). Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were determined by AAS
(Shimadzu 7000, Japan) at the wavelengths of 228.80, 324.75, 217.00,
and 213.85 nm, respectively. Heavy metal standards were prepared
and run to check the precision of the instrument throughout the analy-
sis. The quality assurance and quality control protocol set by the U.S. En-
vironmental Protection Agency for metal analysis was used. The quality
assurance testing relied on the blank controls and the yield of the chem-
ical procedure.
456 A. Arulkumar et al. / Marine Pollution Bulletin 119 (2017) 454–459

The results obtained from this study were analyzed using the analy- Table 2
sis of variance (ANOVA), and the differences among the heavy metal Physicochemical parameters of the Thondi coast.

(Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn) concentration levels were considered significant at No Physicochemical parameters Values
the 5% level at 95% confidence interval (P b 0.05). Correlation coefficient 1 Atmospheric water temperature (°C) 36
(r2) analysis was used to determine the significant relationship between 2 Surface water temperature (°C) 32
the fish weight, length, and heavy metal residues. For all the cases, the 3 pH 7.6
analyses were performed using the SPSS Statistical package 14 for 4 Dissolved oxygen (DO) mg/l 7.3
5 Salinity (%) 36
Windows (SPSS Inc., USA).
6 Phosphate (μmol/l) 5.6
Pollution by heavy metals is a very serious problem in many coun- 7 Nitrate (μmol/l) 5.3
tries and is caused by the disposal of industrial effluents into the sea 8 Nitrite (μmol/l) 4.3
water, where it becomes toxic for many marine animals and flowering 9 Total nitrogen (μmol/l) 10.2
halophytic plants (Velusamy et al., 2014). Table 1 shows the character- 10 Ammonia (μmol/l) 7.6

istics of the 10 fish species used in the present study. The physicochem-
ical parameters of the Thondi coast are given in Table 2. The heavy metal
residues observed in the muscle samples of the fish species from the Table 3
Thondi coast are provided in Table 3. Standard regulatory limits of Concentration of heavy metals in the fish samples (ppm) from Thondi coast.

heavy metals (Table 4) and its accumulation in the fish species of this Sl. no Scientific name of the fish Cd Pb Cu Zn
region was compared with different regions in the world (Table 5). 1 Chirocentrus dorab 0.04a 0.1a 1.14a 29.75a
Cd is a nonessential toxic metal and has no biological activity in 2 Rastrelliger kanagurta 0.04b 0.1b 1.30b 29.34b
humans. Human exposure to Cd poisoning occurs through food chain 3 Carangoides caeruleopinatus 0.05a 0.4a 1.16a 26.69a
magnification (Velusamy et al., 2014). In the present study, the concen- 4 Stolephorus indicus 0.02b 0.2b 0.90b 21.48b
5 Upeneus vittatus 0.04a 0.1a 1.11a 18.80a
tration of Cd in the muscle tissues of the fish species ranged from 0.02 to
6 Chanos chanos 0.10b 0.1b 8.68b 39.99b
0.28 ppm. The highest Cd concentration of 0.28 ppm was recorded in 7 Peneaus indicus 0.14a 0.3a 4.60a 39.03a
Portunus pelagicus. This could be because of their feeding habits. A pos- 8 Portunus pelagicus 0.28b 0.9b 8.35b 55.14b
itive significance of P b 0.05 of Cd residues was noted between the mus- 9 Sepia brevimana 0.11a 0.11a 5.88a 52.06a
cle tissues from different fish species (Table 6). Velusamy et al. (2014) 10 Sepia aculeate 0.07b 0.12b 6.42b 42.83b

reported that the highest Cd concentration of 0.57 ppm in Johnius Heavy metal residues in the muscle tissues of different fish samples were compared statis-
elongatus. Prabhu Dass Batvari et al. (2012) reported high concentra- tically using one-way ANOVA. a and b are statistically significant at P b 0.05.
tions of Cd from Scylla serrata (0.136 ppm), Penaeus semisulcatus
(0.150 ppm), and Penaeus indicus (0.182 ppm) in the North Chennai
coastal region, India. Sankar et al. (2006) reported lower Cd concentra- Table 4
tion (0.1 ppm) in marine fish. However, the above mentioned concen- Standard regulatory limits (ppm/mg/kg) of heavy metals in fish samples as reported in the
literature.
trations of Cd in the studied fish species were lower than those
reported in other geographical locations, including the Red Sea in Organization/country Heavy metals References
Egypt (0.12 ppm) (El-Moselhy et al., 2014); Cracow, Poland Cd Pb Cu Zn
(0.002 ppm) (Kulawik et al., 2016); Cochin, Kerala, India (0.03 ppm)
FAO 0.005 0.5 30 30 FAO (1983)
(Sivaperumal et al., 2007); and Southern Nigeria (0.10 ppm) FAO/WHO 0.5 0.5 30 100 FAO/WHO (1989)
(Oyakhilome et al., 2013). In addition, Vasanthi et al. (2014) reported European commission 0.5 0.3 – 30 EC (2008; 2014)
a lower level of Cd concentration (0.1 ppm) in Pulicat Lake, FSSAI 0.3 0.3 – – FSSAI (2015)
Chennai, India, which was lower than that observed in the present FDA for crustaceans 3 1.5 – – FDA (2001)
Codex Stan 2 0.3 – – Codex Stan (193–1995)
study (Table 2). The FAO/WHO set the residual limit of Cd as 0.5 ppm Turkey guideline 0.1 1 20 50 Dural et al. (2007)
for fish, and the FDA set the maximum permissible limit as 3.0 ppm for England 0.2 2 20 50 MAFF (2000)
crustaceans and cephalopods. In our study, the Cd concentrations varied
from 0.02 to 0.28 ppm. The European commission (EC) (2008) and (EU)
(2014) set the maximum allowable limit of Cd concentration as 0.5 ppm Pb is considered as carcinogenic to human (IARC group 1 and MAK
in fish samples. In the present study, all the fish samples showed low commission category 1). Humans can be exposed to Pb through chronic
level of Cd as regulated by the EU (2014). The report of Joint FAO/ inhalation (EU, 2014; Sankar and Ashok Kumar, 2014). The concentra-
WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has recommended tion of Pb in the present study varied from 0.1 to 0.9 ppm. Higher con-
a provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) of 0.007 ppm/kg body centration (0.9 ppm) of Pb residues were observed in P. pelagicus and
weight for Cd (Sankar and Ashok Kumar, 2014). The average Cd concen- lower concentration (0.1 ppm) of Pb were noted in C. dorab, R.
tration in the present study did not exceed the maximum allowable level kanagurta, U. vittatus, and C. chanos. However, the average Pb concentra-
(2.0 ppm) set by the Codex Standard (193–1995). tion in the present study was 0.23 ppm. Higher value was reported by

Table 1
Fish and shell fish samples, length and weight, feeding habits, and values of importance to fishery.

Scientific name of the fish No. of samples analyzed Weight (g) Length (cm) Habitat Feeding habits

Chirocentrus dorab 5 200 35.3 Pelagic Carnivorous

Rastrelliger kanagurta 6 175 25 Pelagic Carnivorous
Carangoides caeruleopinatus 5 230 25.4 Pelagic Carnivorous
Stolephorus indicus 5 2.55 12.6 Demersal Carnivorous
Upeneus vittatus 5 18.2 13 Demersal Carnivorous
Chanos chanos 6 43 26.2 Pelagic Carnivorous/Omnivores
Penaeus indicus 7 43.5 13.1 Demersal Carnivorous
Portunus pelagicus 8 67.5 18.2 Pelagic Carnivorous
Sepia brevimana 7 350 23.6 Demersal Carnivorous
Sepia aculeate 6 180 16.5 Demersal Carnivorous
 A. Arulkumar et al. / Marine Pollution Bulletin 119 (2017) 454–459 457

Table 5
Comparison of toxic heavy metal levels (ppm) in fish samples as reported in the literature.

Sample Study area Toxic metals References

Cd Pb Cu Zn

Fish Mediterranean Sea 1.07 – 3.40 16.1 Kalay et al. (1999)

Fish West Bengal, India – 98.5 1.0 11.5 Mitral et al. (2000)
Fish Sundarban Wetlands, India 18.3 – – 965.3 Sarkar et al. (2002)
Fish Kolleru Lake, India 0.11 1.84 – 41.0 Sekar et al. (2003)
Fish Calicut, India 0.1 – 1.50 16.20 Sankar et al. (2006)
Fish Mumbai, India 0.02 0.08 0.31 8.36 Mitral et al. (2000)
Fish and shell fish products Cochin, India 0.03 0.07 1.44 44 Sivaperumal et al. (2007)
Fish Western Mediterranean – – 1.03 12.28 Uysal et al. (2008)
Fish Pulicat Lake, India 0.02 0.6 – 0.08 Prabhu Dass Batvari et al. (2008)
Fish Parangipettai Coast, India 0.18 – 0.12 14.1 Raja et al. (2009)
Fish Kolkata, India 0.33 – 3.9 19.8 Kumar et al. (2011)
Fish Gaza 0.09 0.17 0.90 20.53 Elnabris et al. (2013)
Fish Southern Nigeria 0.10 0.63 1.35 1.30 Oyakhilome et al. (2013)
Fish Benin City, Nigeria – 0.29 0.68 14.05 Daniel et al. (2013)
Fish Red Sea, Egypt 0.12 0.88 0.24 2.42 El-Moselhy et al. (2014)
Fish Mumbai Harbor, India 0.19 0.12 2.46 38.54 Velusamy et al. (2014)
Fish Cracow, Poland 0.002 0.012 – – Kulawik et al. (2016)
Shrimp Southern Red Coast, Saudi Arabia 0.2 0.3 5 24 EI Gendy et al. (2015)
Crab Parangipettai Coast, India – – 61.5 72.5 Lyla and Khan Ajmal (2011)
Crab and shrimp Pulicat Lake, India 0.18 3.28 0.76 0.32 Prabhu Dass Batvari et al. (2012)
Crab Pulicat Lake, India 0.1 0.2 – 2.0 Vasanthi et al. (2014)
Fish and shell fish Thondi, Southeastern India 0.02–0.28 0.1–0.12 0.90–8.68 18.80–55.14 Present study

Prabhu Dass Batvari et al. (2008), who reported 0.6 ppm Pb in Pulicat
Lake. Sivaperumal et al. (2007) and Kulawik et al. (2016) also reported
lower Pb concentrations in Cochin, India (0.07 ppm), and in Cracow, Po-
land (0.012 ppm), respectively. Sankar et al. (2006) reported the heavy
metal concentrations in Saurida tumbil, Megalaspis cordyla, Sphyraena
jello, Chiloscyllium spp., Johnieops dussumieri, Perna viridis, Pamphia
malabaricus, and Sepia sp. Sankar et al. (2006) reported higher Pb con-
centration (1.84 ppm) in fish collected from Kolleru Lake in India.
Prabhu Dass Batvari et al. (2012) reported that the highest concentra-
tion of Pb (3.28 ppm) from Pulicat Lake. The JECFA has recommended
a PTWI of 0.025 ppm/kg body weight for Pb (Sankar and Ashok
Kumar, 2014). The FAO/WHO (1989) set the maximum permissible
limit of Pb as 0.5 ppm for fish species, and the FDA (2001) set 1.5 ppm
for crustaceans and cephalopods. In the present study, all the samples
except P. pelagicus had lower Pb concentrations than the guideline
values (FAO/WHO, 1989; FDA, 2001), as shown in Table 3. Turkey and
England guideline values for maximum Pb concentrations are 1–
2 ppm. Our results suggest that the Pb concentrations in the tested sam-
ples were lower than the guideline values of Turkey and England (Dural
et al., 2007 and MAFF, 2000).
Demirezen and Uruc (2006) reported that Cu is an essential nutrient
for human health. Cu helps to produce blood cells, triggers the release of
iron to form haemoglobin, and strengthening bones; however, con-
sumption of high amount of Cu might cause health risks. The FAO
(1983) regulated the maximum permissible limit for Cu as 30 ppm. In
the present study, Cu was found in all the tested fish samples, and the
concentrations varied from 0.90 to 8.68 ppm. The highest concentration
of Cu was observed in C. chanos, and the lowest value was found in S.
indicus. The average Cu concentration in the fish samples of the present
study was 3.95 ppm. However, Velusamy et al. (2014) reported the high
Table 6
Correlation coefficients between heavy metals and fish length and weight.
Cd Pb Cu Zn Weight
Cd 1 12.28 and 2.42 ppm in the fish samples from the Mediterranean Sea
Pb 0.853⁎⁎ 1
Cu 0.549 0.353 1
Zn 0.723⁎ 0.451 0.865⁎⁎ 1 (2011) reported the lowest values of Zn concentration (11.5 and
Weight −0.041 −0.187 −0.026 0.332⁎ 1 19.8 ppm) in the fish samples from West Bengal. Similarly, Prabhu
Length −0.328 −0.192 −0.064 0.068 0.572
⁎ Correlation was significant at P b 0.05.
⁎⁎ Correlation was significant at P b 0.01.
Cu concentration to be 5.59 ppm in a different marine fish species from
Mumbai harbour, India. Sankar et al. (2006) reported that Cu concentra-
tions in the marine fishes of Calicut, India, ranged between 1.50 and
4.50 ppm, and EI Gendy et al. (2015) reported an average Cu concentra-
tion of 5 ppm in shrimps from the Southern Red coast of Saudi Arabia.
Sivaperumal et al. (2007) reported a comparatively much lower Cu con-
centration of 1.44 ppm in marine fish from Cochin, India, than the
8.68 ppm reported in the present study. Kumar et al. (2011) reported
that the lowest Cu concentration of 3.9 ppm in West Bengal, India.
El-Moselhy et al. (2014) and Uysal et al. (2008) reported low Cu concen-
trations of 0.24 and 1.03 ppm in the Red Sea in Egypt and the Western
Mediterranean Sea, respectively. The Cu residual limits detected in the
present study were within the acceptable level of 30 ppm suggested
by the FAO/WHO (1989). Higher levels of Cu in the liver can cause
Wilson's disease, inborn error of metabolism, and hepatolenticular de-
generation; in addition, excessive levels of copper and/or deficiency of
zinc is the primary reason for “histapenia” (low blood histamine),
which is a type of schizophrenia (Passwater and Cranton, 1983).
Demirezen and Uruc (2006) reported that Zn is an essential element
for human health, and it helps in disintegrating the macromolecules in
the food we eat and assists in healing wounds. Because Zn is a key com-
ponent of cells, enzymes, and cofactors, it is one of the most important
trace and microelements for the human body. Zinc was found to be
the most abundant metal in the fish samples of the present study, and
a P b 0.05 positive significance of Zn residues was noted between the
muscle tissues of different fish species. The highest concentration of
Zn was observed in P. pelagicus (55.14 ppm) followed by S. brevimana
(52.06 ppm) and S. aculeate (42.83 ppm). The lowest level of Zn resi-
dues was observed in U. vittatus (18.80 ppm) and S. indicus
(21.48 ppm). The average value of Zn concentration in the muscle tis-
sues of the fish samples examined in the present study was
35.51 ppm. Higher values were observed by Sivaperumal et al. (2007)
(44 ppm) in marine fish samples and Sekar et al. (2003) (41 ppm) in
marine fish species caught from Kolleru Lake. Uysal et al. (2008) and
Length
El-Moselhy et al. (2014) reported the lowest Zn concentrations of
and the Red Sea, respectively. Mitral et al. (2000) and Kumar et al.
1 Dass Batvari et al. (2012) and Vasanthi et al. (2014) reported the lowest
concentrations of Zn residues (0.33 and 2.0 ppm) in Pulicat Lake. Sekar
et al. (2003) reported the highest level of Zn (965.3 ppm) in the fish
458 A. Arulkumar et al. / Marine Pollution Bulletin 119 (2017) 454–459
samples from Sundarban Wetlands, India, which was comparatively
much higher (55.14 ppm) in the present study. The maximum accept-
able limit of Zn in fish and fishery products is 50 ppm as suggested by
the Turkey and England guidelines. The Zn concentrations in fish sam-
ples of the present study were found lower than the acceptable limits
of 100 ppm as suggested by the FAO/WHO (1989). Higher levels of Cu
and Zn intake is detrimental to human health and can cause inborn
error of metabolism, nausea, stomachache, diarrhea, fever, and
hepatolenticular degeneration (Passwater and Cranton, 1983; Chi et
al., 2007).
The length and weight of fishes plays an important role in the accu-
mulation of trace metals in the muscles. Therefore, it is essential to
know the relationship between the length and weight and the absorp-
tion of both essential and nonessential elements. A higher positive
correlation was obtained between Zn concentration and the fish weight
(P b 0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between the
fish weight and length and the Cd (r2 = −0.041; r2 = −0.328), Pb (r2 =
−0.187; r2 = −0.192), and Cu (r2 = −0.026; r2 = −0.064) concentra-
tions. Velusamy et al. (2014) reported a significant negative correlation
coefficient between the fish length and weight and the Cu and Pb
concentrations in the tissue samples. The correlation analysis used in
this study revealed that the concentrations of the metals varied signifi-
cantly in different fish samples. A higher significant positive correlation
was noted in the fish muscle samples between Cd and Pb (r2 = 0.853;
P b 0.01), Cd and Zn (r2 = 0.723; P b 0.05), and Cu and Zn (r2 =
0.865; P b 0.01). In this study, the accumulation of heavy metals was
higher in demersal fish samples than that in the pelagic fish samples.
The demersal fish S. brevimana and the pelagic fish P. pelagicus from
the Thondi coast showed the maximum concentration of heavy metals.
Cu and Zn concentrations in the tested fish samples were slightly higher
than the permissible levels (FAO, 1983). Cd and Pb are important toxic
metals, and the concentrations in the tested fish samples were found
to be within the permissible limit and are safe for human consumption
(FAO/WHO, 1989; Codex Stan, 193–1995 and EU, 2008, 2014). The
amount of trace metal accumulated in the fish samples depends on the
contamination in water (sewage, waste water, and industrial effluent),
variations in food intake by the fish species based on the ecological
needs, their body metabolic capability, and environmental parameters
such as atmospheric temperature, salinity, and concentration of ammo-
nia (Satheeshkumar and Kumar, 2011).
The findings of the present study provided valuable information on
the contamination by heavy metals in the fish species of the Thondi
coast. The ten commercially important fish species analyzed in this
study contain the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn within the per-
missible levels for human consumption recommended by national and
international regulatory guidelines. Heavy metal concentrations in the
fish samples analyzed in this the present study were also found to be
within the permissible levels set by the EU, FAO/WHO, and FSSAI. There-
fore, it is concluded that the fishes captured from the Thondi coast are
considered safe for human consumption and can be exported
worldwide.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the authorities of Alagappa University and
Bharathidasan University, India, for providing the necessary facilities
to perform the research work. The authors gratefully acknowledge the
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Science and Engi-
neering Research Board (SERB), Government of India, New Delhi, for
their financial support (Grant No. SR/FT/LS-22/2010;02.05.2012).
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