The Effect of Fluoride and Other Ions on Algae and Fish of Coastal Water of Mediterranean Sea, Egypt

Abstract

Sea grass, marine algae and fish samples were collected from the Egyptian coast of Mediterranean Sea during September 2000 and March 2001. The contents of fluoride and some interfering ions (calcium, magnesium, sulphate, phosphorus and some heavy metals) ions and their concentration factors were determined in the dried samples. Fluoride contents in macrophytes, algae, muscle of fish samples were ranged between 29.79 and 34.30 mg g^-1, 19.17 and 53.70 mg g^-1 and 1.875 and 3.379 μg g^-1, respectively. Calcium contents for sea grass, algae and fish samples were varied between 21.82 and 45.30, 45.63 and 325.37 and 18.04 and 93.00 mg g^-1, respectively. Magnesium contents were fluctuated between 3.62 and 28.96, 1.21 and 15.70 and 45.58 and 107.84 mg g^-1, respectively. Sulphate contents ranged between 69.78 and 140.00 and 17.22 and 117.22, 54.68 and 185.19 mg g^-1, respectively. Phosphorus contents were varied from 0.24 to 0.74, 0.198 to 1.854 and 3.205 to 5.477 mg g^-1, respectively. Fluoride analysis indicated that there is no risk for human consumption of the muscles of fish samples collected from the Egyptian coast of Mediterranean Sea. The data were exposed to some statistical analyses to study the effect of fluoride and the interfering ions on the behavior of sea grass, marine algae and fish species.