Evaluating the level of pollution of some heavy metals in four types of fish in the Diyala River / Iraq

Concentrations of heavy metals [Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn] were determined in water samples, and four species of fish in the Diyala River, namely [carasobarbus Luteus, Abu Planiliza, Tilapia aurea, Arabibarbus Graypus], were evaluated. To investigate the potential health effects of these minerals on local residents who consume these fish, three different sites were identified along the Diyala River. Water samples were taken from each site to determine the level of water contamination. 36 samples of fish were collected from the same sites, and were analyzed using an (ICP-OES) device to determine the level of heavy metal contamination in the water and fish. The results showed the presence of heavy metal contamination in the water and were similar in all sites, while the results for fish for all species were below the limits. Maximum permissible. They ranged between (0.01 and 0.74), which indicates that human consumption of these types of wild fish may be safe. As for the p-value, the Oriya tilapia obtained a percentage of (0.001328), which is less than (0.05), and this value indicates the presence of statistically significant differences between the three sites. As for the other types of fish (Abu planellisa, golden tilapia, and Arabibarbus grypus), the results showed that the p-value, which was (0.580368 & 0.457077, 0.385146), was greater than (0.05), which indicates that there are no statistically significant differences between Locations. Three for each type.