Browsing by Author "Elizabeth A. Ngesa & Elick O. Otachi, Nzula K. Kitaka"

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    Levels of heavy metals in the straightfin barb Enteromius paludinosus (Peters 1852) from River Malewa, Naivasha, Kenya
    (Environ Monit Assess, 2018-11-12) Elizabeth A. Ngesa & Elick O. Otachi, Nzula K. Kitaka
    There have been several studies on heavy metals in Lake Naivasha. However, none of them has reported the levels of mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr). Moreover, there are no studies on the heavy metals’ concentrations in the straightfin barb (Enteromius paludinosus, Peters 1852), a fish species that hosts a parasite (Ligula intestinalis), the latter hav ing been reported to have a high ability to absorb heavy metals from its host. This paper therefore addresses the accumulation of heavy metals, namely arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) in the tissues of straightfin barb, Enteromius paludinosus (Pe ters 1852) from the mouth of River Malewa in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. A total of 1307 fish were collected during the month of November 2017. Water samples, sediment samples, 25 fish muscle tissues, and its endo parasite, the cestode Ligula intestinalis,wereisolated, and heavy metal concentrations were determined using the thermal-electron atomic absorption spectrophotom eter at the Lake Nakuru Water Quality Testing Labora tory. The concentrations of heavy metals in the sediment werebelowthelowesteffectlevel insediment, threshold effect concentration in sediment, severe effect concen tration in sediment, and the shale values of sedimentary rocks thus showing no sign of pollution. In the muscle tissues of the fish, As, Cr, Pb, and Hg showed high levels with mean concentrations of 5.0696, 22.0854, Bioconcentration factors further supported the observa tion that trace element accumulation was higher in fish compared with sediment and water. The target hazard quotients of As, Cr, Pb, and Hg obtained for both the female and male were >1 indicating a possible health risk associated with the consumption of E. paludinosus. The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for L. intestinalis were 2.4093, 2.1873, 5.8601, and 5.1395 for As, Cr, Pb, and Hg, respectively, indicating the potential of the cestode in the accumulation of heavy metals from the host; hence, it can be used as an accumulation bioindicator.