ABSTRACT
Aim: The study was aimed at comparing the levels of heavy metals in Tiger shrimps- Penaeus monodon from different source categories, to ascertain the impacts of the selected heavy metals on the consumers’ health. Hypothesis: Heavy metals in blood serum of shrimp consumers were accumulated solely from the shrimps. Methodology: Tiger shrimps obtained from Ekpan Creek, Shrimp industry and shrimp farm were tested for metals (iron, manganese, nickel, and lead) concentrations using a Perkin Elmer 3110 model Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Blood samples of respondents were analyzed for the levels of iron, manganese, nickel and lead using Inductively Coupled Plasma MassSpectrometer (ICP-MS). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test for the significant differences in the heavy metals in the shrimps and consumers’ blood samples at probability level of 0.05. Duncan Multiple Range (DMR) test was used to identify the source of variance using SPSS version 19.1. Health Risk Indices of heavy metals were noted as significant from 1 and above and insignificant at below 1. Results: The shrimps exhibited different trends of heavy metals according to their sources. Results showed that the safety in consumption of the shrimps was is in the order of cultivate (pond) shrimps > freshwater shrimps > preserved shrimps. Shrimp consumption had corresponding impacts on the health of the consumers. Processed shrimps should be properly examined for fitness of consumption prior to marketing, while chemicals such as sodium bisulfate, tripolyphosphate should be discouraged. Conclusion: Metallic construction materials should be discouraged and stringent water quality monitoring is recommended in Tiger shrimp aquaculture while incorporating adoption of environment friendly agricultural practices. Perturbed aquatic environments such as Ekpan Creek require protection from anthropogenic activities and impactful remediation process with a view to protecting the Tiger shrimps and other aquatic biota.