Assessment of heavy metal concentrations in the food web of lake Beyşehir, Turkey

The accumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg and Cr) was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in water, sediment, plankton and fish samples collected from Lake Beyşehir, which is important bird nesting and visiting areas, and irrigation and drinking water sources. In Lake Beyşehir, the accumulation orders of heavy metals were Cd > Pb > Cr > Hg in water, Pb > Cd > Cr > Hg in sediment, Pb > Cd > Cr > Hg in plankton, and Cd > Pb > Cr > Hg in the muscles and gills of chub, carp, tench, except for the muscle of pikeperch, in which it was Pb > Cd > Cr > Hg (P < 0.05). In addition to this, accumulation orders of heavy metals in the food web was also found to be water > plankton > sediment > fish tissues, except for Cr. According to international criterias and Turkish regulations, heavy metal concentrations especially Cd and Pb in Lake Beyşehir were markedly above the permissible levels for drinking water.