Heavy metals Hg, Cd, and Pb in the body of sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus L.), the Lower Irtysh river

For assessing the possibility of using sterlet as a species-bioindicator of heavy metals' contamination in the bottom sediments, a study has been conducted on the distribution and accumulation of these pollutants in the fish body. The patterns of distribution of heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead) in the gills, muscles, liver and axial skeleton (chord) of sterlet living in the lower reaches of the Irtysh River have been investigated. The coefficient of biological accumulation in comparison with bottom sediments has been calculated, and heavy metal concentrations have been compared with allowable levels of these toxicants for raw fish. The concentrations of heavy metals (HM) have been determined by the atomic adsorption method. The maximum have been noted for lead, and among the analyzed organs and tissues, its greatest value are in the gills. The rows of HM distribution are as follows: Pb - gills > liver > muscles > skeleton, Hg - skeleton > gills > liver > muscles, Cd - gills > skeleton > liver > muscles...