Copper and lead accumulation in common carp females during long‐term dietary exposure to these metals in pond conditions

The aim of the research was to observe the process of copper and lead accumulation in tissues of adult females of the common carp, during a long‐time (3 years) dietary exposure to these metals in pond conditions. The fish were divided into 3 groups, which were fed with control pellets (control group) and pellets contaminated with lead (group Pb, 68.4 mg Pb kg^?1dry weight) or copper (group Cu, 153.1 mg Cu kg^?1) for three exposure periods: the first, the second and the third vegetation seasons. Quite a different profile of tissue metal accumulation was observed for copper and for lead in female carps. Copper accumulates mainly in the liver (205.4 ± 35.2 mg kg^?1), reaching values 70 times higher than in control, and 300 times higher than in some other tissues, while lead accumulated mainly in the kidney (1.7 ± 0.25 mg kg^?1) and intestine (2.2 ± 0.2 mg kg^?1). Even when exposed to Cu or Pb for three consecutive seasons, the carps studied did not accumulate these metals in the muscles at the level dangerous for human health in case of ingestion.