Heavy metal contamination in canned fish marketed in Ghana

Abstract

The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd, Mn and Hg in 46 canned fish samples of nine different brands purchased within Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana were determined using the Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer for Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd and Mn and direct mercury analyzer (DMA) for Hg. The ranges obtained for the elements analyzed in μg/g (wet weight) are as follows: Pb (0.058 0.168), Zn (0.010 0.370), Hg (0.088 0.410), Mn (0.001 0.057), Fe(0.990 32.607) and Cd, below detection limit in all the samples. The fish samples had Hg levels below the European dietary limit of 0.5 μg/g. Zinc levels were generally below the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended limit of 40 μg/g. The concentration of lead in the canned fish was also below the MAFF guidelines of 2.0 μg/g. Also, based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) health criteria for carcinogens, there are no health risks associated with Pb concentrations in canned fishes analyzed. The result of the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) conducted on the data suggested no significant variations (P>0:05) in the concentrations of the metals in the same brands of canned fishes.