| Summary: | Mining activities at the upstream of the Kuantan River basin can be resulted to adverse impacts for both human and aquatic lives. The heavy metal contamination of aquatic environment has gained the public attention. In fact, in recent decades, urban activities and industrial waste have led to an increase in contamination of heavy metals in the water bodies which may have direct effect on aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, this study aims to determine the level of Aluminium (Al) and Copper (Cu) in the muscle and gills of giant freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) collected from five selected rivers in Kuantan, Pahang. Field sampling was conducted between September and December 2017. The giant freshwater prawns were digested and then analysed with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The obtained results revealed that, Al levels in muscle of M.rosenbergii among all rivers occurred in the rank order: Pandan river>Riau river> Pinang river> Kuantan>Balok river, while in gills: Pandan river>Kuantan river>Balok river>Pinang river>Riau river. The concentration of Cu in muscle were in order of: Pandan river>Pinang river> Riau river> Balok river > Kuantan river, whereas Cu in gills were: Pandan river>Balok river>Kuantan river>Pinang river > Riau river. The highest content level of Al and Cu in both prawn’s muscle (14.03 ± 3.55 and 12.28 ± 3.87) mg/kg and gills (7.06 ± 2.53 and 12.28 ± 3.87) mg/kg were caught from Pandan River. In risk and safety assessment, the metal concentrations in the edible muscle of prawn were found to be below the established limits by WHO (1982), MFA (1983, US FDA (2001), and JECFA (2000). This study suggests that the prawns caught from Kuantan river are safe for human consumption. © BEIESP.
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