Abstract:
The objectives of this study are (1) to determine the concentration of arsenic
and mercury in the oysters from the Setiu Lagoon, (2) to show the relationship
between the concentration of arsenic and mercury in the oysters, water and sediment
and (3) to compare the concentration of the arsenic and mercury to the Malaysian
Food Act 1983 safety level whether the oysters are safe for consumption. The
arsenic concentration range in the sediment, oysters and water in this study were
9.00 to 36.10 µg/g, 8.20 to 43.90 µg/g (dw) and 0.90 to 4.37 µg/L. While for the
mercury concentration, there were in the range of 0.35 to 0.79 µgig in sediment, 0.60
to 0.90 µg/g (dw) in oysters and 0.20 to 13.20 in water. As for the relationship, there
were significant association of mercury in the water with the water quality parameter
and the time of sampling. While for the arsenic concentration, the relationship
between oysters, sediment and water were significantly correlated. There were low
correlation between oyster-sediment and water-sediment. The oyster and the water
show a moderate correlation (P<0.01) between them. The BCF was higher in the
oyster/water than oyster/sediment. Setiu Lagoon was contaminated by arsenic and
mercury. The safety limits of the water were exceeding the limit that had been state
by WHO, 1993. While for the sediment, the concentration of arsenic and mercury
were too high than the earth crust.
