Assessment of Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation in Some Tissues of Leuciscus Cephalus from Karasu River, Erzurum-Turkey

Karasu River, the only river in the Erzurum plain, is the source of Euphrates River (Eastern Anatolia of Turkey). It is considered that artificial fertilizers, pesticides, municipal sewage, industrial and factory wastes are polluted the Karasu River. The pollution in the river also threatens the Euphrates basin. Fish live in direct contact with their immediate external environment. Therefore, fish are frequently used to determinate the aquatic pollution. In this study, we aim to determine concentrations of metals such as Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg and Pb on liver, muscle and gill tissues of Leuciscus cephalus (chub) which was obtained from the selected two points (Dumlu and Askale) on Karasu River. The heavy metals were measured by ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer). The concentrations of heavy metals in tissue of fish from the Askale site were significantly higher than those from the Dumlu site. High levels of metals were found in the gills in fish from Askale site. These results show that the concentrations are below the limits for fish proposed by Turkish Food Codex, FAO/WHO and EC, and safe within the limits for human consumption in the edible parts of fish species in the region.