ESTIMATE OF CADMIUM CONCENTRATION IN COAS TAL SEAWATER USING BOILED AND SEMIDRIED WHITEBAIT

Bolied and semi-dried whitebait was used to estimate coastal seawater pollution by cadmium. The cadmium contents of samples were accurately analyzed using a method involving extraction with dithizone-benzene an d back-extraction with 1% nitric acid. The concentration of cadmiun in semi-dried whitebait collected from the Setonaikai coast was found to be higher than that of fish from the Pacific coast. The cadmium conte nts in coastal seawater and boiled semi-dried whitebait showed a good correlation (r=0.8542, n=9, p<0.01). It is considered that the cadmium content of the boiled and semi-dried whitebait is a good index of pol lution of coastal seawater by cadmium.