Asian Journal of Research in Zoology

Uranium mining and tailings disposal may affect nearby aquatic environments through the release or mobilisation of sediment-associated contaminants. The present study examined liver histopathology in Clarias batrachus exposed under laboratory conditions to a soil suspension collected from the Jaduguda uranium waste-dumping area. Control fish were maintained in water collected from Ghatshila. Twelve healthy fish were acclimatised for seven days and divided into control and exposed groups, with six fish in each group. The exposed group was maintained for 30 days in 20 L of collected water mixed with 400 g of soil, corresponding to a sediment load of 20 g/L. After the exposure period, surviving fish from both groups were transferred to clean water for a further 30 days to assess tissue recovery. Liver tissues were processed following a routine histological protocol and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Control fish showed compact hepatic cords, distinct hepatocytes, centrally placed nuclei and regular sinusoidal spaces. In contrast, exposed fish showed marked histopathological alterations, including cytoplasmic vacuolisation, hepatocellular degeneration, nuclear pyknosis and karyolysis, sinusoidal dilation, disruption of hepatic organisation and focal necrotic changes. Fish transferred to clean water after exposure showed partial improvement in hepatic organisation, with reduced degeneration and better cellular arrangement. However, residual vacuolisation, focal necrosis and mild tissue disorganisation persisted in the liver sections of recovery-group fish. These observations indicate that exposure to soil suspension collected from the Jaduguda uranium tailings area was associated with hepatic tissue injury in C. batrachus under the experimental conditions used. The findings also suggest that recovery may begin after removal from the exposure condition, although complete histological restoration was not evident within 30 days.