Abstract:
The concentrations of copper and zinc in Sarotherodonmelenotheronfrom the Fosu Lagoon were measured to assess the extent of contamination with these metals. The lagoon is a closed lagoon situated within the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was employed to estimate the mean concentrations of copper and zinc within a three (3) month period from 16th September, 2005 to 2ndDecember, 2005. The concentration of copper was found to be in the range of 10.647mg kg -1 to 26.146mg kg -1 and that of zinc ranged from 4.138mg kg -1to 96.236mg kg -1 .The mean concentrations of copper and zinc were 19.665 mg kg-1 and 38.615mg kg-1 respectively. The mean concentration for copper was within the acceptable limit for human consumption whilst that for zinc exceeded the FAO’s acceptable limit of 30mg kg -1 . The hazard index for Copper exceeded 1. There is therefore, a very high probability of severe adverse health effect on the consumption of this fish species harvested from the Fosu Lagoon especially for children of 0 – 1 year. It was moreover, observed that no correlation existed between the values obtained for copper and zinc. This is a sharp contrast to literature
