Determination of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd by Atomic Emission Spectrometry with Inductively Coupled Plasma in Organs of the Specie Gambusia punctata (Poeciliidae)

Abstract

The aim of this research was to adequate the ICP-AES method to the quantification of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in brain, liver and gills of the specie Gambusia punctata, in order to know the level of exposure of the ecosystems San Juan and File in Santiago de Cuba province. To achieve the fitness for purpose of the method, limits of detection, reproducibility and accuracy were evaluated using reference certificated materials of fishes. The biological samples were classified according the ecosystem, length, sex and organ. It were dried, digested with mix of acids and the metals measured in the spectrometer. The results demonstrated that factors as length and sex have not influence in the bioaccumulation, whereas the gill was the organ where all the elements were bioaccumulated. Finally, due that the smallest concentrations of metals were in the Filé ecosystem, it could be used as an environmental reference.
Key words: metals, ICP-AES, bioaccumulation, Gambusia punctata.