Determination of Cadmium and Lead in Northern Pike from the Missouri River

Lead and cadmium are trace metals which accumulate in the body and are extremely toxic in living organisms. The purpose of this study was to find organ(s) with the greatest concentrations of these elements. In this study liver, gill, intestines, and kidney of five samples of Northern Pikes were analyzed. After the organs were dried and digested using nitric acid the anodic stripping voltammetry method was employed to analyze this samples. This method was used for its low detection limit of 10 -9 to 10 -10 M. However, no trace of either lead or cadmium was found in all 60 samples analyzed. Lack of detectable amount of both lead and cadmium is attribute to; first, Northern Pikes are not bottom dweller and thus would not be highly exposed to sediments that most commonly contain trace metals, second, the absence of a major industry which typically produces these contaminates in this area.