Abstract
Domogalla 1 and Surber 2 have used sodium arsenite to control vegetation in lakes and in sloughs respectively. Wiebe 3 has shown that concentrations of arsenic required to kill the vegetation are not harmful to our warm water fish: bass, bluegill, crappie, bullhead, golden shiner, and the common goldfish. The present investigation was undertaken to ascertain whether or not the fish when exposed to arsenic treated water, will acquire and store sufficient arsenic to make them unfit for human consumption.
The investigation shows: (1) That freshwater fish taken from natural waters contain appreciable quantities of arsenic; control fish from the Rock River (Ill.) gave arsenic values ranging from .100 mg. to .425 mg. of As2O3 per kg. (2) That fish acquire a certain amount of arsenic from arsenic treated water: the average amount of As2O3 per kg. from 9 control fish from the Rock River was .390 mg.; the average for 5 exposed fish was .886 mg. Domestic controls (9 fish) gave a negative test for arsenic. The treated fish (5 individuals) average .703 mg. As2O3 per kg.; the range being from .411 mg. to .965 mg. per kg. (3) That the arsenic content in any lot of fish is variable. This fact is brought out by the above figures. (4) There is not exact correlation between the arsenic content of the fish and the concentration of arsenic in the water and the time the fish are exposed; fish exposed to a total of 8 p.p.m. for 6 days contained more arsenic than fish that had been exposed to a total of 15 p.p.m. for 42 days. (5) That arsenic is eliminated by the fish. One bass was fed 3 mg. of As2O3on July 22, when analyzed on July 31, 9 days later, only .019 mg. of As2O3 were recovered.
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