Abstract
This study was carried out to find out the content of injurious heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic of marine fish which had been captured in adjacent sea of Korea. From March, 1 to April, 30 in 1993. 60 sample of fishes were collected the adult fish and young fish. These samples were analyzed by the Mercury Analyzer and Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectro Analyzer. The results of the study were summarized as follows: (1) The content of mercury in Therafra chalcograma was 0.112$\pm$0.034 ppm which was higher than other fishes, but Pseudosciaena manchurica and Pampus argenteus had lower (P<0.05). Although lead content of Trichiurus lepturus was 0.359$\pm$0.056 ppm, which was higher than other fishes. The lead content of Theragra chalcograma had lower to the almost same level. The cadmium content of the Theragra chalcograma was 0.069$\pm$0.010 ppm which was higher than other samples, but Pseudosciaena manchurica had 0.039$\pm$0.020 ppm to lower level. Though there was some fluctuation in the arsenic content which was 0.433~3.752 ppm, the arsenic content of Therafra chalcograma was 3.752$\pm$2.873 ppm which was the higher than any other fishes. But there are not statistical significances. (2) Heavy metal content by the maturity of the fishes: Mercury content of the old Pseudosciaena manchurica was 0.055$\pm$0.15 ppm comparing to the young's result of 0.030$\pm$0.009 ppm (P<0.05). Though there were some differences according to the maturity, but thee was no statistical significance. (3) In view of the correlation of the heavy metal content, for Pseudosciaena manchurica, high correlation was founded to r=0.6437 between mercury and cadmium (P<0.05). Though the content of mercury, arsenic cadmium and lead had positive correlation (r=0.2725) and negative correlation (r=-0.3958), but there was no significance at all. The other fishes were not found correlation between the heavy metal content. Positive correlation was found between age with mercury in Pseudociaena manchurica (r=0.7018, P<0.05). The negative correlation of age with lead content in the Pseudociaena Manchurica was signigicant (P<0.05). The correlation coefficient was r=-0.7623. The age with mercury content in Coloabis saira had high correlation (r=0.7201, P<0.05). Through the above analysis, it can get conclusion that injurious heavy metal content of the fishes in Korea such a mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic were at the level of natural content. At present, guidelines of maximum residue level allowed at foreign countries about the injurious heavy metal have been used according to the kinds of fish but our government guideline for the marine fishes in only total mercury below 0.7 ppm and lead below 2 ppm. So more aggressive guidelines for the allowance level of heavy metals in marine fishes are required for the safety of foods.