Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Spotted Babylon Snail (Babylonia areolata Link, 1807), Karachi Coast, Pakistan

Abstract

Background and Objective: The release of metals in the aquatic environment is a great concern to the whole world as it has a great impact on the environment. In the current research, muscle samples were examined to evaluate the heavy metal amounts (Aluminum[Al], Lead [Pb], zinc [Zn], copper [Cu] and cadmium [Cd]). Materials and Methods: All samples were divided into two groups according to the weight group A (<5 g) and group B (>5 g) and were explored with the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results: The average estimated levels of Al, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in the muscle of group A were 4.71±1.62, 0.46±0.21, 27.06±9.24, 9.40±1.27 and 0.23±0.05 µg g G 1 , respectively. Moreover, the average amount of the above metals concentrations in muscle for group B were 10.17±2.10, 0.73±0.20, 71.09±23.52, 11.29±7.15 and 0.32±0.05 µg g G 1 , respectively. The correlation between the different size groups and metals accumulation in muscle tissues were explored for both groups. Conclusion: The analyses indicated that Al, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd buildups in muscle tissues of Babylonia areolata collected from Karachi Fish Harbour Pakistan did not surpass limit values.