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The edible (muscles) and non-edible (viscera and gills) parts of Periophthalmus papillio inhabiting the mangrove swamps of the Bukuma oilfield and its environs in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria were analysed for Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu and Ni. The mean levels of heavy metals (µg/g dry wt.) in the edible parts ranged from Zn: 1.30-4.53; Pb 0.14-0.30; Cd ND-0.06; Cu 0.07 0.25 to Ni 0.07-0.16; non-edible parts Zn 1.05-2.31 Pb 0.18-0.46; Cd 0.03-0.14; Cu 0.05-0.24 to Ni 0.05-0.27. Apart from Zn that varied distinctly (P