Analisis Kandungan Logam Berat Timbal (Pb) pada Kerang Kepah (Meretrix sp.) yang Terdapat di Perairan Belawan Medan Sumatera Utara

Abstract

The belawan region is an international port with industries and settlements and other public facilities. There are currently 35 industries. The belabous waters are also known to be the water with many ocean activities, such as the export of Marine animals, the refueling of ships and activities from fishing vessels could potentially cause pollution. Heavy metals are dangerous contaminants because they are toxic in high quantities and affect various aspects of the water, both biologically and ecologically. The main causes of heavy metals become harmful pollutants that can’t be destroyed (non degradable) by environmental organisms and accumulate to the environment. The Meretrix sp . is a soft-bodied animal (mollusk) ranked in either a bivalve or pelecypoda class. The eating quality of the Shellfish Meretrix sp. is to absorb food (filter feeders) found in water. Whereas the shellfish (Meretrix sp.) is a filter feeder that lives at the bottom of the water by substrating itself in, feeding on the bottom of the water. Its feeding habits provide strong opportunities for the entry of heavy metals timbal (Pb) into the body of the shellfish (Meretrix sp.), and the shellfish (Meretrix sp.) are among the animals consumed and traded in the North Sumatra Belawan Medan waters, Therefore, a study of the content of the heavy metal timbal (Pb) contained in the shellfish (Meretrix sp.), and then adjusted to the maximum limitation of heavy metals in Indonesia's national standards (SNI), 2009, in order to ensure the level of safety of consumption. The sample was taken by purchase from fishermen in the waters of the north Sumatra field of 9 samples for each of the small size (2.5-3 cm), medium (3.1-4.5 cm) and large (4.6-5.1 cm), with a triple - scale repetition using the AAS machine (Atomic Absorption Spectrophometer). Research was conducted in September 2023. Data analysis includes a maximum limit of heavy metals consumption and a descriptive analysis. The incidence of heavy metals timbal (Pb) on the shellfish (Meretrix sp.) in the North Sumatra Belawan Medan waters studied with an average of 0.030 (μg/g) for small Shellfish, 0.035 (μg/g) for medium Shellfish and 0.042 (μg/g) for large Shellfish.