الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract eveloped countries and developing countries which are progressing rapidly in the fields of agriculture, techno- logy, and industry are introducing various kinds of harm- ful substances into the biosphere and are thereby facing a serious challenge in the form of environmental pollution. Environmental monitoring and surveillance programs, which commonly use fish as the principal indicator of water poll- ution, have reported elevated levels of contaminants in biota from many major water bodies and in some cases note that fish have attained concentrations that are of concern when viewed from a human health prespective. The toxico- logical effects of these contaminants on the fish population are largely unknown (Niimi, 1983). Water pollution began with the industrial revolution and their wastes which introduce into the seas, oceans, rivers and lakes- containing a series of harmful chemicals like heavy metals, pesticides, phenolic compounds and oil- dispersant chemicals. These substances enter the food chain and are concentrated in fishes and other edible organisms, which in turn may indirectly affect the fish, resulting in their elimination from the aquatic ecosystem (Cairns et al., 1972). High metal concentrations resulting from atmospheric deposition (from smelting operations or fossil fuel burning. |