Bioaccumulation of Nickel and Lead in Fish Tissues and Associated Histological Impacts in Head Balloki, Kasur

Bioaccumulation of Nickel and Lead in Fish Tissues and Associated Histological Impacts in Head Balloki, Kasur | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Bioaccumulation of Nickel and Lead in Fish Tissues and Associated Histological Impacts in Head Balloki, Kasur Iffat Amin, Erkan Can, Farzana Abbas, Haffez ur Rehman, Sadaf Amin This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8798044/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Fish serve as a vital food source and, are characterized by streamlined bodies, fins, and gill-based respiration. Heavy metals are essential in trace amounts for metabolic processes but become toxic at abnormal concentrations. This study evaluates the bioaccumulation of nickel and lead in various fish tissues and the associated histological impacts caused by contamination in Head Balloki, Kasur. Samples of three fish species— Catla catla , Wallago attu , and Labeo rohita —were collected with the assistance of experienced fishermen. Heavy metal concentrations in organs (liver, gills, intestine, kidney, muscle, skin) and freshwater were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Results were compared against the World Health Organization’s permissible limit of 0.5 mg/kg. The concentrations of both nickel and lead exceeded WHO standards, with the highest levels observed in Wallago attu , followed by Catla catla and Labeo rohita . Nickel accumulation was highest in the kidneys of Wallago attu (66 mg/kg) and lowest in the muscles of Labeo rohita (4.75 mg/kg). Lead followed a similar pattern, with the highest levels found in the muscles of Wallago attu (56 mg/kg). The elevated heavy metal levels likely result from agricultural, industrial, and human activities around Head Balloki, which negatively impact fish health and pose risks to human consumers. The bioaccumulation of lead and nickel in fish tissues poses significant risks to human health. When people consume fish contaminated with these heavy metals, they can be exposed to toxic levels that may lead to neurological, developmental, and cardiovascular problems. Lead exposure is particularly harmful to children, affecting cognitive development and behavior, while nickel can cause allergic reactions, kidney damage, and an increased risk of certain cancers. Long-term consumption of contaminated fish can lead to chronic toxicity, underscoring the need for stringent environmental monitoring and management practices to ensure food safety. Bioaccumulation heavy metals Catla catla Labeo rohita Wallago attu Head Balloki Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8798044","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":603443951,"identity":"be70d1e5-0dae-4f9e-b8ae-722c66041c33","order_by":0,"name":"Iffat Amin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Kinnaird College for Women","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Iffat","middleName":"","lastName":"Amin","suffix":""},{"id":603443952,"identity":"f159e4b0-0905-4501-b1b5-391bcdd44147","order_by":1,"name":"Erkan Can","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACNijN3tgMYRwgWgvPQbgWxgbitEgkMBOnhV/6WOLnAgY7eXPJx80GP9sY5PhuJLA/rsCjRbIv7bD0DIZkw52zE5sTe9sYjCVvJDA2nsGjxeAMe4M0D8MBxg23E5sPM7YxJG4AacHnMvsz7M2/gVrsN9w8CNZST1CLAQ/bMZAtQMMZm5OBWhIMCGmROMOWZs1jkJy84Uxis2HPOQnDmWceNs7Ep4W/h834Nk+Fne2G48cfS/wos5HnO5584CM+LVDnIWwFYkIxOQpGwSgYBaOAIAAA/wtMGYMhdiUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Erkan","middleName":"","lastName":"Can","suffix":""},{"id":603443953,"identity":"be0063ea-68b8-4009-9b8b-2353abea9e65","order_by":2,"name":"Farzana Abbas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Farzana","middleName":"","lastName":"Abbas","suffix":""},{"id":603443954,"identity":"eacfeecf-1fc3-4c76-935d-5c0865e27790","order_by":3,"name":"Haffez ur Rehman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Haffez","middleName":"ur","lastName":"Rehman","suffix":""},{"id":603443955,"identity":"1c5270ff-c770-43da-b7bd-33357c77c2d5","order_by":4,"name":"Sadaf Amin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Government College University Lahore","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sadaf","middleName":"","lastName":"Amin","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-05 14:10:09","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8798044/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8798044/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108822706,"identity":"845db619-2e70-4709-a4ba-08d48d7986f2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-08 16:50:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":4083589,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"NickelandLeadinFishandHistologicalImpact2602.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8798044/v1_covered_2c7cf90f-cc00-4002-88bf-a9f07daa37e2.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Bioaccumulation of Nickel and Lead in Fish Tissues and Associated Histological Impacts in Head Balloki, Kasur","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Bioaccumulation, heavy metals, Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Wallago attu, Head Balloki","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8798044/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8798044/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eFish serve as a vital food source and, are characterized by streamlined bodies, fins, and gill-based respiration. Heavy metals are essential in trace amounts for metabolic processes but become toxic at abnormal concentrations. This study evaluates the bioaccumulation of nickel and lead in various fish tissues and the associated histological impacts caused by contamination in Head Balloki, Kasur. Samples of three fish species\u0026mdash;\u003cem\u003eCatla catla\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWallago attu\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eLabeo rohita\u003c/em\u003e\u0026mdash;were collected with the assistance of experienced fishermen. Heavy metal concentrations in organs (liver, gills, intestine, kidney, muscle, skin) and freshwater were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Results were compared against the World Health Organization\u0026rsquo;s permissible limit of 0.5 mg/kg. The concentrations of both nickel and lead exceeded WHO standards, with the highest levels observed in \u003cem\u003eWallago attu\u003c/em\u003e, followed by \u003cem\u003eCatla catla\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLabeo rohita\u003c/em\u003e. Nickel accumulation was highest in the kidneys of \u003cem\u003eWallago attu\u003c/em\u003e (66 mg/kg) and lowest in the muscles of \u003cem\u003eLabeo rohita\u003c/em\u003e (4.75 mg/kg). Lead followed a similar pattern, with the highest levels found in the muscles of \u003cem\u003eWallago attu\u003c/em\u003e (56 mg/kg). The elevated heavy metal levels likely result from agricultural, industrial, and human activities around Head Balloki, which negatively impact fish health and pose risks to human consumers. The bioaccumulation of lead and nickel in fish tissues poses significant risks to human health. When people consume fish contaminated with these heavy metals, they can be exposed to toxic levels that may lead to neurological, developmental, and cardiovascular problems. Lead exposure is particularly harmful to children, affecting cognitive development and behavior, while nickel can cause allergic reactions, kidney damage, and an increased risk of certain cancers. Long-term consumption of contaminated fish can lead to chronic toxicity, underscoring the need for stringent environmental monitoring and management practices to ensure food safety.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Bioaccumulation of Nickel and Lead in Fish Tissues and Associated Histological Impacts in Head Balloki, Kasur","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-24 14:42:04","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8798044/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f21f74ec-1ee7-43f8-87c5-0e709f08e6fd","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 24th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T16:30:55+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-24 14:42:04","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8798044","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8798044","identity":"rs-8798044","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}