Comparative Study of Persistent Toxic Metal Levels in Land Crab (Cardiosoma armatum) and Lagoon Crab (Callinectes amnicola) in Lagos Lagoon

Comparative Study of Persistent Toxic Metal Levels in Land Crab (Cardiosoma armatum) and Lagoon Crab (Callinectes amnicola) in Lagos Lagoon

The comparative study of persistent toxic metal levels of two species of crab Cardiosoma armatum and Callinectes amnicola were studied from June 2009 to October 2009. This work provided information on the concentration of Cd, Zn, Ni, Fe and Pb in the limb, shell, flesh and gills of the two species of crab, so also their environment- water and sediments. This analysis will help in assessing accumulation of metals in these organisms. Metal concentration was determined using wet digestion and analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The concentrations of metals observed in the crab samples were lower than the WHO permissible level of 2.00 μg/g for Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) in foods.