Concentration of copper and zinc in black chin tilapia (Sarotherodon melenotheron) in Fosu lagoon, Cape Coast, Ghana

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