Abstract

ALVARADO-ARCIA, Adriana et al. Heavy metals in muscle of Pterygoplichthys pardalis and companion species in Pantanos of Centla, Tabasco, México. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2024, vol.34, n.3, pp.191-206.  Epub Jan 23, 2026. ISSN 0188-8897.  https://doi.org/10.24275/ojiw3057.

Fish consumption is recognized for its benefits to human health due to the contribution of essential macro and micro elements for living beings, proteins, and vitamins A, B12, and D. However, it can simultaneously represent health risks due to the bioaccumulation of toxic chemical elements such as Cd, Hg, and Pb. Fish products must comply with the maximum permissible limits of these elements to ensure that their consumption is safe. The genus of freshwater fish Pterygoplichthys spp (plecos) is a set of invasive exotic species that have generated negative impacts at the ecosystem, economic, and social levels in southeastern Mexico. The objective of this research was to determine the concentration of Cd, Hg, Mn, and Pb in the muscle of the fish Pterygoplichthys pardalis in lagoons of the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve in Tabasco (RBPC), Mexico, with the purpose of defining whether these concentrations are mayor than the maximum permissible limits set forth by international regulations, for their use for food purposes. To this end, metal quantification was carried out by means of atomic absorption spectrometry with a graphite furnace and hydride generator in muscle samples of plecos and other accompanying species. The concentration of these metals in plecos caught in the RBPC is below the maximum levels suggested in international regulations for fish meat and is even lower than the values reported in previous years by other authors. Given these results, the meat of these fish can be considered acceptable for consumption in rainy season, being a solution to reduce the nutritional needs of people in rural and urban areas of Mexico.

Keywords : Cadmium; devil fish; lead; manganese; mercury..

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