Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Insects, Fish and Prawn

The research was conducted to determine six trace metals concentration, Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) in insects (Periplaneta Americana, Chrysomya megacephala), fish (Lates calcarifer), malacostracan (Penaeus monodon), water and sediments collected from coastal area of Sitakunda upazila. The analysis of metals showed that the range of As was (<80-8720), Cd was (10-420), Cr was (962-66008), Cu was (34.1-65754), Pb was (141-18000) and Zn was (1088-211766). Except As, all the metals concentration was higher in all samples. The accumulation power of Zn was higher in all samples especially it was highest in the insect samples. Most of the values of As were below the detection limit. The levels of trace metals also compared with the standards of WHO and FAO. Except As and Cd, all the values were higher than the permissible limit. Pearson correlation matrix revealed that these metals inter-element relationship was positive and might have originated from the same sources. Pb and Cr, Pb and Cu, Pb and As, Cr and Cu, Cr and As, Cu and As showed positive and highly significant correlation.