Variation of Heavy Metals in Canned Geisha and Founty Mackerel Fish Brands Obtained from Choba Market Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Two varieties of canned mackerel fish samples purchased from Choba market, Port Harcourt, Nigeria were pre-treated using dry ashing methods and were analyzed for heavy metals. Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, were determined using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The range obtained for the elements analyzed in mg/kg (dry weight) are as follows, Cr (0.00-0.0052), Cu(0.00-0.0033), Fe(0.00-0.0379), Mn (0.0016- 0.0028), Ni (0.00-0.0018), Pb(0.0004), and Zn(0.01-0.0187). In both brands, the heavy metals levels analyzed were below the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended limit of 40 mg/kg and the corresponding Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and fishery of the united kingdom(MAFF) guideline value of 2.0mg/kg. Also based on the (USEPA) health criteria for carcinogens, there are no health risks with respect to Pb, Cr, Cu and Zn concentrations in canned fishes analyzed. The results of this study indicate that mackerel fish have concentrations well below the permissible FAO/WHO levels for these toxic metals. Their contribution to the body burden can be therefore considered negligible and the fish seem to be safe for human consumption.