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Review Papers | Food Science | India | Volume 12 Issue 11, November 2023

Trace Metals in the Aquatic Environment and its Effect on Aquatic Life and Human Body

Dr. R. Rekha

Abstract: The contamination of natural waters by heavy metals negatively affects aquatic biota and poses considerable environmental risks and concerns. One of the peculiar features of fish and fishery products are that they concentrate several trace elements such as Ag, Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn at sometimes very high concentrations. Some metal like copper (Cu), Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are essential for normal metabolic and physiological functions of fish while other metals like mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) have no known biological role. Elevated concentrations of such heavy metals, especially cadmium, not only results in bio - magnification, as they constitute a major food source for top predator species, but also pose a health hazard to the human population that consume the species. Monitoring programmes and research on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in aquatic environments samples have become widely important due to 2 concerns over accumulation and toxic effects in aquatic organisms and to humans through the food chain. Contaminants can persist for many years in sediments in both freshwater and marine systems where they hold the potential to affect human health and the environment. Recently, import regulations have increased on heavy - metal residues in fish and other cephalopod products. These include arsenic, tin, cadmium, lead, chromium, mercury and nickel. Member States are required to implement a monitoring system to check the level of contamination of fish and fishery products, produced both domestically and imported.

Keywords: Bioaccumulation, Pollution, Heavy Metals, Environment

Edition: Volume 12 Issue 11, November 2023,

Pages: 789 - 795