Determination of the Chromium (VI) Content in Five Species of Fish from Soumbédioune Beach (Dakar/Senegal)

Coastal waters can be considered critical habitats for fish species which are considered to be bioindicators of environmental quality. Thus, the evaluation of metal contamination in marine organisms, in particular fish, makes it possible to predict a possible contamination of humans. Soumbédioune beach, a landing place for fishery products, is home to canal IV which drains urban wastewater from part of the Dakar region. Cr can be very hazardous to human health when present in the environment at high concentrations. We evaluated the Cr⁶⁺ contents in five species of fish caught in this area by UV–visible spectrophotometry. The results obtained show that the average concentrations for the first campaign vary from 11.06 µg/g with Pagellus bellottii (P.b) to 40.64 µg/g with Lagocephalus laevigatus (L.l). However, the values found are much higher than the standard established by the EEC/R No.466/2001 for Cr (VI) which was 5.5 µg/g.