Heavy Metal Contents in Wild and Cultured Fishes from the Korean Coasts

We determined the contents of heavy metals in the muscle of wild and cultured fishes, collected from fish markets located in the eastern (Pohang), western (Gunsan), and southern (Tongyeong) coasts of Korea, from 2004 to 2005. As the results of monitoring the heavy metal contents in spring season, the wild fishes contained the range of Cd (0.01-0.08 mg/kg), Cr (ND-0.28 mg/kg), Cu (0.06-1.53 mg/kg), Hg (0.02-0.16 mg/kg), Mn (0.04-1.15 mg/kg), Ni (ND-0.09 mg/kg), Pb (0.03-0.41 mg/kg), and Zn (1.84-6.61 mg/kg). While for the cultured fishes, Cd (0.01-0.05 mg/kg), Cr (ND-0.17 mg/kg), Cu (0.05-0.61 mg/kg), Hg (0.02-0.13 mg/kg), Mn (0.03-0.17 mg/kg), Ni (ND-0.08 mg/kg), Pb (0.03-0.33 mg/kg), and Zn (2.06-6.20 mg/kg) were contained. In summer season, the contents of heavy metal in the muscle of the wild fishes were as follows: Cd (ND-0.11 mg/kg), Cr (0.01-0.37 mg/kg), Cu (0.21-1.31 mg/kg), Hg (0.01-0.11 mg/kg), Mn (ND-1.47 mg/kg), Ni (ND-0.26 mg/kg), Pb (0.06-0.48 mg/kg), and Zn (2.94-14.38 mg/kg). In comparison, the contents of heavy metal in the muscle of cultured fishes were Cd (ND-0.05 mg/kg), Cr (0.13-0.33 mg/kg), Cu (0.19-0.56 mg/kg), Hg (0.05-0.26 mg/kg), Mn (ND-0.14 mg/kg), Ni (ND-0.58 mg/kg), Pb (0.07-0.45 mg/kg), and Zn (2.43-7.53 mg/kg). Also the fall and the winter season, the heavy metal contents in the fishes showed almost similar with other season, however, Pb was lower and Zn was higher than both spring and summer season. The wild fishes contained the heavy metals a little more than the cultured fishes. We could not observe clear seasonal variation in the heavy metal contents of the fishes. The levels of Hg and Pb in all samples tested did not exceed the maximum permissible levels in the fishes set by the Korean Food & Drug Agency for safe human consumption.