Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation in European Eels (Anguilla anguilla) from the Odra and Vistula River Basins (Poland): Implications for Environmental and Food Safety
Nowosad J. Czarkowski T.K. Kapusta A. Mariańska N. Chmieliński P. Czarnecki B. Pyka J. Łuczyński M.K. Ablaisanova G. Kucharczyk D.
January 2026Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Animals
2026#16Issue 2
The accumulation of heavy metals in fish tissues is widely recognized as an indicator of aquatic environmental pollution, and the analysis of their content provides a basis for assessing ecological risk and the safety of aquatic food. The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a species frequently used as a bioindicator in environmental studies due to its wide geographic distribution, long life cycle, and high capacity for bioaccumulation of heavy metals in various tissues. The aim of this study was to assess the variation in the accumulation of heavy metals, i.e., mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd), in the tissues (muscle, liver, gonads, and gills) of European eels caught in two locations in Polish inland waters. The obtained results showed significant differences both in the concentration levels of individual elements and in their co-occurrence in the examined tissues. The statistical methods used, including correlation analysis, heat maps, and principal component analysis (PCA), allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the relationships between metals and the identification of factors differentiating the studied populations. The obtained results clearly indicate that fish residing in similar environments for long periods exhibit significant differences in heavy metal content in various fish tissues. Fish obtained from environments with potentially higher levels of heavy metal inputs, such as the Oder River EMU compared with the Vistula River EMU, showed higher levels of heavy metal accumulation in tissues. This study also found that the concentration of heavy metals tested did not exceed the safe standards for human fish consumption.
aquatic environment , contamination , critically endangered species , lead , mercury , pollution
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Department of Ichthyology, Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecology, National Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Al. Oczapowskiego 10, Olsztyn, 10-719, Poland
Department of Research and Development, ChemProf, Gutkowo, Olsztyn, 54B, 11-041, Poland
Department of Ichthyology and Aquaculture, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Al. Warszawska 117A, Olsztyn, 10-957, Poland
LLP Fisheries Research and Production Center, Almaty, 050016, Kazakhstan
Department of Ichthyology
Department of Research and Development
Department of Ichthyology and Aquaculture
LLP Fisheries Research and Production Center
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