Assessment of Heavy Metals (Cu, Pb and Zn) in Different Tissues of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Caught from Shirinsu Wetland, Western Iran

Determination of metal levels in muscle, liver and gill of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) species caught from Shirinsu Wetland was done using ICP-OES. The mean level of Cu, Pb and Zn in muscle, liver and gill of fish were 0.01±0.002, 0.015±0.003, 0.007±0.001; 0.13±0.005, 0.006±0.001, 0.62±0.11 and 0.26±0.008, 0.009±0.002, 0.53±0.10 ?g g?1, respectively. Metal levels in muscle were generally lower than those in liver and gill. Metal concentrations in the edible parts of fish were assessed for human uses according to maximum permissible level. The estimated values of all metals in muscle, liver and gill of fish species in this study were below the permissible levels. Therefore, it can be concluded that these metals in edible parts of the examined species should not pose health problems for consumers.