Studies on copper, silver and zinc concentrations in muscle and liver of Barbus plebejus, Cyprinus carpio and Leuciscus cephalus from Kilickaya Reservoir in Turkey

Concentrations of Ag, Cu and Zn were studied in muscle and liver of Barbus plebejus, Cyprinus carpio and Leuciscus cephalus from Kilickaya Reservoir. The heavy metal analysis of samples were carried out by using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean heavy metal concentrations of Ag, Cu and Zn were obtained as 1.47±3.44, 1.65±3.31 and 2.89±4.52 μg/g in muscle and 1.78±4.19, 2.07±3.28 and 10.58±3.88 μg/g respectively in liver for Barbus plebejus, the corresponding figures were 9.67±1.36, 3.53±4.56 and 11.64±21.79 μg/g in muscle and 10.06±1.14, 5.10±4.94 and 55.28±40.77 μg/g in liver for Cyprinus carpio and 8.54±1.55, 1.58±2.93 and 3.16±4.52 μg/g in muscle and 8.15±3.14, 3.35±5.13 and 13.73±11.82 μg/g in liver for Leuciscus cephalus. Zinc concentrations differed significantly between the two tissues (p<0.001). There was a weak and negative correlation of age, total length, weight of fish with metal concentrations for Cu in liver of Leuciscus cephalus (r= –0.599*, p= 0.030; r= –0.476, p= 0.100; r= –0.470, p= 0.105). The concentrations of the Cu and Zn were below the acceptable limit for human consumption in muscle and liver of Barbus plebejus, Cyprinus carpio and Leuciscus cephalus.