Abstract

This work compared the heavy metals contents in four fish species obtained from Kiri Dam using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). The order of accumulation of heavy metals in the fish species investigated increase in sequence: Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Mn > Pb > Cd > As. The bioaccumulation factors of metals in the fish species studied indicated that C. gariepinus and O. niloticus recorded higher values than the other fish species. The result also showed that, the concentrations of the metals accumulated by the fishes differ with specie and metal type. The order of the accumulations of the metals in the organs of the fish species was; Stomach>Gills>Bones>Muscles. The Health Indices of the metals indicated that most of the metals were above the safety region and therefore, the consumption of fish from Kiri Dam could pose health problems for both children and Adults. Further work should be carried out on the levels of the metals during dry and wet seasons to advice the general public on the consumption of fishes from Kiri Dam.