Study of the heavy metals (Cd and Pb) content in the tissues of rainbow trouts from Hamedan coldwater fish farms

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the concentration of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in the muscle and liver tissues of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Hamedan Province (west of Iran) cold water fish farms, and compare the results with the FAO/WHO guidelines. Heavy metal concentrations were determined from the three randomly selected fish farms by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) method. Concentration of heavy metals were detected to be high in rainbow trout during dry season. Concentration of Cd and Pb in the muscle and liver tissues were 3.67µg/kg and 12.82µg/kg, respectively. However concentrations of these two heavy metals were within the standard limits set and recommended by FAO/WHO, indicating that the rainbow trout meat raised from this region is safe for human consumption.