TRACE-METALS CONCENTRATIONS IN MARINE ORGANISMS FROM THE COASTAL AREAS OF BAHRAIN, ARABIAN GULF

A total of 162 fish and shellfish samples representing important speci es have been collected from different coastal areas of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf, and analyzed for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic usi ng electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. The ove rall mean levels for Pb, Cd, Hg and As in fish samples were 0.132, 0.0 32, 0.084 and 1.7 mu g g(-1) wet weight, respectively, whereas for she llfish they were 0.149, 0.045, 0.042 and 3.61 mu g g(-1) wet weight. T hese values indicate higher levels of metals in shellfish when compare d with fish, except for mercury, and reveal that generally the levels of metals in these organisms are lower than existing guidelines, excep t for arsenic. The provisional tolerable weekly intake of Pb, Cd, Hg a nd As through fish was estimated to be 0.7, 0.17, 0.45 and 9 mu g kg(- 1) bodyweight per week, respectively. Our results did not reveal a cle ar pattern regarding variations of metals concentration between areas and species.