Total Levels of Mercury Concentrations in Marine Fish - Kumasi, Ghana | European Journal of Nutritio

Fish is rich in biological value protein, low in saturated fat, and contains polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as vitamins. As a consequence of human actions, mercury exists naturally in the atmosphere. Inorganic mercury accumulates in the marine food chain, including fish and shellfish, and is converted to methylmercury (the most common type of organic mercury) by microorganisms found in sediment. When water flows over their gills and as they feed on prey, fish absorb methyl mercury. The study's aim is to determine mercury contamination levels in fresh fish in Kumasi's Central Market.A total of 42 fish were randomly sampled in separate labelled zip lock bags and placed in a cold ice chest for comparison of 27 different species after identification. Individual edible fish dorsal muscle tissue was collected, dried, and analysed using the Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (CV-AAS) process, which is extremely simple, precise, and fast. With a mixture of HNO3, HClO4, and H2SO4 for full oxidation of the organic tissue, the concentration of mercury in fish samples from the sea was determined.The results revealed that the fish samples contained large quantities of mercury, ranging from 15.29 to 981.99 ng/g or ppb wet weight, which is less than the FAO/WHO limit of 0.5 ppm wet weight. The study found low mercury concentrations in the fish species, indicating that they do not tend to cause excessive mercury toxicity in the general population. It indicates a relatively safe marine environment due to the region's lack of industrial activity, which hasn't been significantly affected by mercury pollution.

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