Concentration of lead and calcium in some edible fishes from Tuticorin

Concentration of lead and cadmium in ten commercially important fishes was estimated using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Lead was present in about 80% of the total stomach samples whereas cadmium was present only in detectable level in the gills (0.465 mg/kg) of Catla catla. The concentration of lead was high in the stomach tissue of Oreochromis mossambicus (0.420 mg/kg) and very low in Sphyraena barracuda (0.003 mg/kg). In the gills, the highest concentration of Pb was found in Leiognathus splendens (0.549 mg/kg) and the lowest in Mugil cephalus (0.006 mg/kg). The highest concentration of Pb in the muscle was recorded in O. mossambicus (0.252 mg/kg) and the lowest in S. barracuda (0.004 mg/kg). The concentrations of Pb and Cd were within the FAO recommended maximum permissible limit for food fish.