Background and Aim: Fish are considered as one of the main aquatic organisms in the food chain. They have the potential to accumulate large amounts of heavy metals in their tissues. The purpose of this study was to measure the levels of five heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, and Zn) in the gill, liver, and muscle tissues of common carp, Capoeta trutta, and Grass carp in the Gamasyab River in 2015 as well as bioaccumulation study and hazard quotient determination (HQ).

Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which three species of fish in the Gamasyab River were caught in autumn and winter. The tissue preparation method was chemical digestion. Concentrations of heavy metals were measured using an ICP apparatus. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.

Results: Permissible limits of ingestion of heavy metals per day through consumption of the three aforementioned fish for an adult person with mean body weight of 70 kg were 0.021, 0.18, 3.5, 13.3, and 20.4 micrograms for cadmium, lead, chromium, copper and zinc, respectively, in this study. The Hazard Quotients (HQ) index was below 1 for all heavy metals.

Conclusion: The Hazard Quotients (HQ) index of fish consumption in this study was less than 1 and indicated that consumption of these fish was harmless.  But since heavy metals have the property of bioaccumulation, seasonal monitoring of heavy metals in this region is essential.

Keywords: Fish, Toxicity, Heavy metal, Gamasyab River

Received: Jan 09, 2016      Accepted: Feb 29, 2016