Biological accretion of some weighty metals in tilapia fish relevant to their concentration in water and sediment of Wadi Hanifah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Concentrations of some heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Cu and Cr) were determined in water, sediment and
tissues of tilapia fish collected from Wadi Hanifah during summer 2010. The concentrations of the
heavy metal in water were within the international permissible level. Cu had the highest accumulating
level in fish whilst Hg had the lowest. The transfer factors of all metals in fish from water were greater
than those from sediments. This led to the conclusion that fish bioaccumulation with these metals was
from water. Heavy metals under study in the edible parts of tilapia were within the safety permissible
level for human use