Bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) in Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1971), from Tamiahua lagoon system, Veracruz, Mexico

the accumulation of heavy metals in oysters, c. virginica, from tamiahua lagoon system along the gulf coast in the state of veracruz, méxico, results from inputs provided by anthropogenic activities and the physicochemical and ecophysiological processes occurring in these systems. the objective of this study was to determine concentrations of cd, pb and as in gonad-digestive gland (gdg) and muscle-mantle-gill (mmg) tissues in females and males of c. virginica from tamiahua lagoon. two sampling sites were selected, and each sample consisted of 500 oysters of commercial size. concentrations of cd, pb and as were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and a graphite furnace. the highest concentrations were found in mmg tissues, whose mean values for these metals are 11.77 ± 1.32, 0.484 ± 0.08, 4.02 ± 0.56 mg kg-1. cadmium concentrations exceeded the limits for the consumption of bivalve mollusks established by the sanitary regulations, indicating a risk to human health.