Potentially toxic elements in the edible part of trout (Salmo trutta L.) from the upper reaches of the Raška and Studenica rivers

Abstract

This paper reports the accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in trout (Salmo trutta L.) sampled from rivers Raška and Studenica in Serbia, which are assumed to be free of pollutants. The presence of PTEs, essential elements and heavy metals, in aquatic ecosystems is usually a consequence of anthropogenic activities such as mining, agricultural drainage, sewage discharge, industrial effluent discharge, gasoline leakage from fishing boats, and accidental chemical waste spills. The appearance of these elements in water and aquatic biota can also be a consequence of natural processes such as atmospheric deposition and weathering, earth’s crust erosion, and volcanic eruption. Since trout inhabits pristine upper reaches of the river, this species represents an appealing model to assess the biological impact of environmental and geochemical contamination in freshwater ecosystems. The concentrations of 14 PTEs in the edible part (EP, muscle + skin) of trout were evaluated. The data obtained in this study confirmed that freshwater, even if far from industrial and anthropogenic activities, can lead to the accumulation of PTEs related to the site's geochemical morphology.