Comparative study of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and arsenic) in roadside fresh fish, dried fish, and cooked fish
- Author
- Makoni, Nyasha S.
- Title
- Comparative study of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and arsenic) in roadside fresh fish, dried fish, and cooked fish
- Abstract
- This research focused on determining the concentration of lead, cadmium and arsenic in roadside raw fish, cooked fish and roadside dried fish as well as commercially sold tilapia fish. The fish samples were collected from roadside vendors and analysed using the flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. The level of risks associated with human consumption of fish polluted with heavy metals depend on the type of heavy metal, the amount consumed and the factors such as health status and age. Results obtained showed that the concentrations of lead, cadmium and arsenic in fish significantly varied depending on the cooking method and the source of the fish. The results showed that dried roadside fish had the highest concentration of lead, cadmium and arsenic concentration followed by cooked, raw fish and commercially sold tilapia fish respectively. The levels of cadmium, lead and arsenic did not exceed the maximum permissible limits for human consumption in all the samples of fish. The obtained results of this study suggest that roadside fish has detectable lead, cadmium and arsenic concentrations though in small amounts. The study highlights the importance of regular monitoring of lead, cadmium and arsenic concentrations in fish. The average concentrations of lead, cadmium and arsenic in roadside dried fish were 0.92mg/l, 0.192mg/l and 0.102mg/l respectively. The average concentrations of lead, cadmium and arsenic in roadside fresh fish were 0.87mg/l, 0.180mg/l and 0.080mg/l and respectively. The average concentrations of lead, cadmium and arsenic in cooked fish were 0.50mg/l, 0.150mg/l and 0.050mg/l respectively. The average concentrations of lead, cadmium and arsenic in commercially sold tilapia were -0.005mg/l, -0.008mg/l and -0.007mg/l respectively. It is recommended to follow recommendations from health authorities, as they give guidance on safe fish, consumption based on age, pregnancy status and other individual factors. Also moderation is key when it comes to fish consumption in order to reduce heavy metal consumption. Consumers should consider other alternative protein sources. Recommendations like cooking fish properly and thoroughly have been suggested in order to help reduce lead, cadmium and arsenic consumption in the human diet as cooking can reduce the amount of heavy metals in some fish. It is recommended that fish consumers be made aware of the risks that come with the consumption of roadside fish and suitable measures be taken to reduce the exposure to heavy metals.
- Date
- June 2024
- Publisher
- BUSE
- Keywords
- Fish
- Roadside
- Heavy Metals
- Supervisor
- Mr. N. Mudavanhu
- Item sets
- Department of Chemistry
- Media
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Makoni, Nyasha S..pdf