The Distribution and Enrichment of Heavy Metals in River Crab

The concentrations of eight heavy metals were determined in the gills, muscles and livers of River crab that lives around the area named Panjin, located in Liaoning province of China. The results showed that the distribution and enrichment of heavy metals varied significantly in different crab tissues. The concentrations of Cr, Ni and Cu were highest in the gills. The concentrations of As and Cd were similar in the muscles and livers tissues. No significant difference in the concentrations of Hg and Pb was found among tissues. The enhanced accumulation of most metals in the gills suggested that the metals mostly accumulated in river crab via the respiration pathway rather than the uptake of food.