Abstract:
Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr were determined in the muscle, stomach and gills of biota caught using beam trawl at 4 stations in Mengabang Telipot River surrounding Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. Heavy metal concentrations the tissues tended to vary significantly among stations, and all stations thought to be contaminated by untreated domestic wastes showed particularly high metal concentrations. For Station 1, the ranges of concentration in biota were as follows : the range of Cr was 625.8 μgig to 920.7 μgig, that of Pb was from 203.9 μgig to 7096.2 μgig, that of Cd was from 6.8 μgig to 501.8 μgig, that of Cu 10.7 μgig to 810.1 μgig, and that of Zn was from 60.6 μgig to 1968.5 μgig. There are no biota caught at Station 2. For Station 3, the ranges of concentration in biota were as follows : the range of Cr was from 577.7 μgig to 1190.8 μgig, that of Pb was from 62.5 μgig to 2448.1 μgig, that of Cd was 4.4 μgig to 182.1
μgig, that of Cu was from 2.5 μgig to 760.6 μgig, and that of Zn was 29 μgig to 2428.7 μgig. For Station 4, the ranges of concentration in biota were as follows : the range of Cr was 791 μgig to 904.4 μg/g that of Pb was 711 μgig to 23399 μgig, that of cadmium was from 59.9 μgig to 711 μg/g, that of Cu was from 84 μgig to 756.6 μgig, and that of Zn was from 831 μgig to 1813.6 μgig. The concentrations of some metals in some tissues exceeded the acceptable levels for a food source for human consumption. The results of this study indicated that the metals present in the river were taken up by the biota through food, water, and sediment, and regardless of their biological needs showed high metal concentrations.
