© by PSP Volume 25 – No. 5/ 2016, 1419-1427 Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 1419 THE EFFECTS OF LEAD-INDUCED TOXICITY ON METABOLIC BIOMARKERS IN COMMON CARP (CYPRINUS CARPIO L.) Ekrem Mutlu Kastamonu University, Faculty of Fisheries, Kastamonu, Turkey ABSTRACT There are many pollutants leading to heavy metal pollution. Lead is one of these pollutants. The efforts using “zeolite” for struggling with heavy metal contamination have shown significant success. We utilized the biochemistry parameters of carp fish (Cyprinus carpio) for revealing the effects of zeolite on fish health and production. The study was started on 09.15.2012 and planned for 3 different durations as 30, 60, and 90 days. The subjects were grouped under 4 groups for each of experiment durations. At the end of each of experiment periods, the fish were weighed, and the average growth rates of each of groups were calculated. It is thought that the zeolite used in this study leads to decrease in weight in long-term since it absorbs the minerals in water, which are necessary for development and growth of the fish. KEYWORDS: Carp fish, heavy metal contamination, fish biochemistry, blood analysis INTRODUCTION One of the pollutants leading to heavy metal pollution is the lead element. It has different effects on different species [1]. The studies on exposure of fish to lead have shown that this exposure leads to negative effects on body weight [2, 3], and on digestive enzymes and lipase [4]. It has been shown that the symptoms of chronic lead toxicity were renal malfunction, anemia, brain and liver damage, cancer, hyperactivity, and general psychological impairment [5]. The upper limit of the weekly lead intake for a human having weight of 60 Kg. must never exceed 300 μg [6]. FIGURE 1 Chemical formula of clinoptilolite. Some of the usage areas of zeolites are agriculture, metal industry, energy sector, manufacturing industry, water treatment, animal husbandry, struggling with environmental pollution, and etc. The zeolites are also utilized in ammoniac removal from the waste waters and animal manure, the air filtration and deodoration, the soil amelioration, and the fertilization [7]. The researches on zeolite utilization in diets in animal husbandry have shown that the zeolite addition leads to increase in yield in fisheries, increase in body weights of chickens, improvement in animal product quality, reduction in bacterial contamination etc. [7]. The low concentration of clinoptilolite addition in diets has been shown to increase the body weight of animals and to improve the general health status [8]. Many of fish species are sensitive to even small fluctuations in water, such as temperature, pH, O2, H2S, and NH4 + . In order to prevent the negative effects on the aquaculture, it is required to keep the parameters of production medium within a certain range. In this study, we utilized the biochemistry parameters of carp fish (Cyprinus carpio) in order to reveal the effects of zeolite on fish health and production. MATERIALS AND METHOD This study has been carried out in newly established Toxicology Institute of Hafik Vocational High School of Cumhuriyet University. The experiments have been performed within 100 L glass-aquariums (85x40x30 cm). 10 fish have been placed in each of aquariums. Each of work has been carried out with 4 repeats. Before starting the