Cadmium, Lead and Mercury Concentrations in the Hooded Rock Oyster Saccostrea Cucullata (Born, 1778) From the Oman Coast of the Arabian Sea

Abstract

The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) were estimated in the soft tissue of the hooded rock oyster Saccostrea cucullata from four sites in Dhofar on Oman coast, that were collected monthly from June 2009 to July 2010. The mean concentrations in µg/g dry weight of Pb, Hg and Cd were: 0.013±0.004, 0.015±0.001 and 3.41±0.15 (±SD), respectively. The concentrations of Hg and Pb were close to background levels, indicating no anthropogenic contamination, while concentrations of Cd exceeded the permissible level by approximately 3.4 times. Comparison between concentrations of heavy metals in different sites by ANOVA and Turkey post hoc tests, indicated significant differences between some sites for Cd, while differences for Hg and Pb were not significant. Meanwhile, no significant seasonal differences were reported in concentrations of the studied heavy metals. Generally,  metal concentrations in the soft tissues of the examined oyster in Dhofar were found to be lesser than in other regions of the Indian Ocean and in previous surveys in Oman.

Keywords: Saccostrea cucullata, heavy metals, concentration, Oman.