Determination of Heavy Metals in Crawfish (Procambrus clarkii) by Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectrometry: A Study over the Season in Southwest Louisiana

Abstract

Six metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, iron, and zinc) were determined by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry in crawfish (tails and whole bodies) and soil in the vicinity of the crawfish, in a season of 4 months (February through May) in southwest Louisiana. Cadmium and lead were not found in the tail or whole body. Nickel was found in some samples of tail but mostly in the April and May samples. Copper, iron, and zinc were found in both tail and whole body of the crawfish. Limited soil sampling showed no cadmium, nickel, or copper in soil, but levels of iron, lead, and zinc were detected.

Keywords:

• Crawfish
• crayfish
• heavy metals
• ICP-OES

Presented, in part, at a poster session at Pittcon 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on 2–6 March 2008. We thank the Board of Regents (BoR) of Louisiana for a Louisiana Education Quality Science Fund (LEQSF) Research Teachers Graduate Fellowship for J. C. R.