Determination of zinc and lead in surrounding water and gills of <i>Tilapia zilli</i> from ´farfazai´ pond in Kano City, Nigeria

Abstract

This study highlighted the issue of heavy metal (ions) in ‘Farfazai’ pond in Kano city, Nigeria. Samples were collected on weekly basis from the study sites for nine (9) months (July 2015-March 2016). Laboratory analyses were carried out to determine the concentration of Zinc (Zn) and Lead (Pb) ions in pond water and gill samples of Tilapia zilli. These were achieved using water and fish sampling procedures as well as heavy metal determination using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results revealed that the pond water contained 4.35mg/l of Zinc and 2.61 mg/l of Lead ions while the gill of Tilapia zilli contained 9.11mg/l of Zinc and 3.39 mg/l of Lead ions respectively. An analysis of variance at P<0.05 revealed a significant difference between the Pond water and gills of sampled Tilapia zilli. It is therefore concluded that the gills of Tilapia zilli contained higher concentrations of Lead and Zinc ions than what was obtained in the pond water samples. The pond should be regularly monitored to ensure that the level of heavy metals and other pollutants do not go beyond limits that could cause unbearable health consequences. There is also the need to manage and preserve the pond as it serve as ecological “laboratory” for scientific research.

Keywords: Heavy metals, Pond, Concentration, Pollutants, Public health, Implication