Abstract

VIRGA, Rossana Helena Pitta  and  GERALDO, Luiz Paulo. Heavy metals content investigation in blue crab species of the genus Callinectes sp.. Ciênc. Tecnol. Aliment. [online]. 2008, vol.28, n.4, pp. 943-948. ISSN 1678-457X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0101-20612008000400028.

Usually, heavy metals occurrence in aquatic systems is resulting from natural geochemical processes. However, the presence of these chemical elements has considerably increased in the last decades . An example is the case of the Cubatão river basin caused by human activities in that region. In this work, a quantitative analysis of Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, and Cu content of four blue crab species of the genus Callinectes sp., sampled along the Cubatão river, was carried out using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer (FAAS). 144 blue crab samples from the following species were analyzed: C. danae (63%), C. sapidus (23%), C. bocourti (10.5%), and C. ornatus (3.5%). The C. Sapidus species presented the highest concentration levels for the studied metals. With the exception of Cu, for which the average concentration was 40% higher for the females (p < 0,05), there was no significant variation in the heavy metal content regarding sex and the size of the animals. Except for Cr, for which the average values interval obtained for the 4 species was above the limit allowed by the Brazilian legislation for any type of food, all the other results were below the maximum values recommended by health agencies.

Keywords : heavy metal; contamination; blue crab.