Ecotoxicological effects of anthropogenic pressure in semi-enclosed artificial lagoon ecosystems in the Gulf of Aqaba

Author(s):  
Mohammad Ahmad Wahsha ◽  
Tariq Al-Najjar

<p>Heavy metals are considered to be among the most potent environmental contaminants, and their release into the environment is increasing rapidly since the last decades from various sources and activities and may enter into the environment by a wide range of pathways and processes. They can be translocated, disperse in the environment, and bio-concentrate in aquatic organisms, causing increase ecosystem degradation and leading to biodiversity loss. Furthermore, they may enter the food chain, creating health risks for both humans and animals. This study aimed to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of anthropogenic pressure in semi-enclosed artificial lagoon ecosystems in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Our findings with regard to heavy metal contamination showed that the area is contaminated by significant amounts of several potentially toxic heavy metals (such as Cd, Cr, Cu, and Fe). The anthropic intervention in the area impacted heavily the natural environment. We found that the biological test (lipid peroxidation) was a useful assay for assessing the overall health condition and response (stress level) towards natural and anthropogenic forces in the studied areas. The selected marine organisms (<em>Holothuria atra</em>, <em>Tripneustes gratilla</em>, <em>Ulva lactuca </em>and <em>Halophila stipulacea</em>) have the ability to accumulate several levels of heavy metals in their tissue with different trends of bioaccumulation. Therefore, they can be used as promising bioindicators for such research. The results obtained permit to assess the environmental effects of anthropogenic pressure and can be a useful basis for planning possible remediation projects.</p>

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 414-426
Author(s):  
A.O. Adekiya ◽  
A.P. Oloruntoba ◽  
S.O. Ojeniyi ◽  
B.S. Ewulo

Abstract The study investigated the level of heavy metal contamination in plants {maize (Zea mays) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)} from thirty soil samples of three locations (Epe, Igun and Ijana) in the Ilesha gold mining area, Osun State, Nigeria. Total concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Spatial variations were observed for all metals across the locations which was adduced to pH and the clay contents of the soils of each location. The results showed that heavy metals are more concentrated in the areas that are closer to the mining site and the concentrations in soil and plants (maize and tomato) decreased with increasing perpendicular distance from the mining site, indicating that the gold mine was the main sources of pollution. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in plants (tomato and maize) samples were considered to be contaminated as As, Cd and Pb respectively ranged from 0.6 - 2.04 mg kg-1, 0.8 - 5.2 mg kg-1, 0.8 - 3.04 mg kg-1 for tomato and respectively 0.60 - 2.00 mg kg-1, 1.50 - 4.60 mg kg-1 and 0.90 - 2.50 mg kg-1 for maize. These levels exceeded the maximum permissible limits set by FAO/WHO for vegetables. In conclusion, monitoring of crops for toxic heavy metals is essential for food safety in Nigeria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoshyar Saadi Ali ◽  
Dhary Alewy Almashhadany ◽  
Hawraz Sami Khalid

Heavy metal contamination of poultry meat is a critical issue for human health due to associated risks of cytotoxicity and systemic pathologies after ingestion of such metals. A total of twenty chicken liver samples were collected from markets of Erbil city and analyzed for ten heavy metals contents by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. The targeted metals were cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se). The average concentrations (mg/kg) of targeted trace elements were 0.06±0.027, 0.06±0.05, 2.05±0.34, 1.85±0.47, 0.15±0.17, and 33.53±5.24 for Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn respectively. Copper (Cu) levels significantly exceeded the maximum permissible limit of WHO. Moreover, the average concentrations of toxic heavy metals and selenium were 0.07±0.037, 0.278±0.10, 0.11±0.083, and 2.01±0.454 mg/kg for Cd, Pb, Hg, and Se respectively. Hg and Pb levels exceeded the permissible limits of WHO. Higher levels of Cu and Hg in poultry may pose a serious threat to consumers which demand countermeasures and precautions to be taken. Iraqi Standards Authority and relevant official institutions are strongly recommended to regulate safe disposal of heavy metal waste in the environment to reduce animal exposure to such metals.


Author(s):  
Godfrida Any Yusriana Dewi ◽  
Steven A Samson ◽  
Usman Usman

Human activities around the estuary of the Manggar river in Balikpapan produce waste disposal and cause heavy metal contamination such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in water bodies. The contaminant can endanger the life of aquatic organisms. It can also occurs heavy metal bioaccumulation in the body of the aquatic organisms. The results show that the heavy metal content of Pb and Cd in water, sediment and water biota indicated that the estuary of the Manggar River was contaminated by heavy metals. The content of Pb and Cd in water is 0.276 mg/l and 0.020 mg/l, in sediments is 24.7 mg/kg and 4.52 mg/kg, and in the biota is 4.20 mg/kg and 0.80 mg/kg. This means that fish and shells taken from the waters around the estuary of the Manggar River are not safe for consumption because they can interfere the human health.


2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1054-1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Q Shang ◽  
W Ding ◽  
R K Rowe ◽  
L Josic

The use of the complex permittivity, an intrinsic electrical property of materials, to detect the presence and type of heavy metals in soil is investigated. The soil specimens are prepared by mixing the soil with distilled and deionized water, NaCl solutions, and copper and zinc salt solutions and compacting at known water contents. The complex permittivities of the soil specimens are measured in the laboratory using a custom-developed apparatus. A database, which includes both contaminated and uncontaminated soil specimens, is developed, with the soil water content, density, and pore-fluid salinity varying over a relatively wide range. Two artificial neural network (ANN) models are developed to (i) identify whether the heavy metals are present in the soil; and, if so, (ii) distinguish the metal type, based on the complex permittivities measured on the soil specimens. The first ANN model (identification) can correctly identify the presence of heavy metals in 90% of cases. The second ANN model (classification) can correctly classify the type of the heavy metal in 95% of cases. Better performance can be achieved if more complex permittivity data are available for the training of the networks.Key words: heavy metals, soil contamination, contamination detection, complex permittivity, artificial neural networks.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Michal ◽  
Anu Maria ◽  
Krishnakumar Velayudhannair ◽  
Xavier Vincent ◽  
Divya K. Radhakrishnan

Abstract Smoked cigarette and butts are the most common forms of litter globally. The local water bodies and their compartments have been severely polluted by the accumulation of these litters and the cumulative effect of many cigarette butts littered in a centralised area may present a significant threat to the living organisms. It is essential to study the leaching behaviour of cigarettes to understand how the heavy metals are leached out into the aquatic ecosystem. In this context, we determined the concentration of different metals (such as Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Sn, Zn & Hg) leached from the different brands of unsmoked and smoked cigarette and cigarette butts by using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The results revealed that the amounts of heavy metal are higher in butt samples (USB and SB) of both cigarette and leachate irrespective of brands, compared to the tobacco part of the cigarette and the concentrations of certain toxic heavy metals in cigarettes were significantly different between cigarette brands tested. These results suggest that cigarette litter was found to be one of the major sources of metal contamination in the aquatic ecosystem and apparent leaching may increase the risk of toxicity to aquatic organisms.


Author(s):  
Md. Matiar Rahman ◽  
Md. Mahedi Hassan

The present study was conducted to figure out the heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn) concentrations in water, sediments and fish species from the Rupsha River, Khulna, Bangladesh to spot the heavy metal contamination level. Heavy metals are dangerous because they're non-biodegradable and having an extended half-life period. The heavy metal contamination could also be an excellent concern, especially for aquatic life. The metal concentration within the water sample from the Rupsha River was significantly above the rule values of WHO and USEPA respectively. Moreover, the concentration of metal within the sediments was also greater than the respective probable effect concentrations of the sediment quality guidelines. Furthermore, consistent with the fish standards, these studied fish species weren't found to be contaminated by heavy metals. It’s concluded that each of the heavy metals from the whole sample didn't exceed the standard maximum level. This study demonstrated that water of Rupsha River isn't safe for aquatic organisms also like humans in terms of Pb, Cd and Cr contents as accumulated through consumption.


1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 899-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Van Loon ◽  
R. J. Beamish

High concentrations of zinc and other heavy metals were found in lakes in the immediate vicinity of the Flin Flon smelters. In a study of 31 lakes, 7 had Zn levels above 100 μg/ℓ, 6 had levels between 50 and 100 μg/ℓ, and the remainder had concentrations < 50 μg/ℓ. The accuracy and precision of the heavy metal chemical analyses were evaluated using intercomparisons with other laboratories and a standard reference water. A linear relationship was demonstrated between log10 concentration of Zn, Cu, and SO42− and log10 distance from the smelter, suggesting atmospheric fallout as the main source of these substances in the lakes. Fishes were more tolerant of these high zinc concentrations than would be expected on the basis of the responses of fish and other aquatic organisms to similar concentrations of zinc in some laboratory toxicity tests. Key words: heavy metals, zinc, atmospheric fallout, fish toxicity, lake contamination, chemical analysis, Flin Flon, Canada


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 40-49
Author(s):  
Emalina L. Ebol ◽  
Carlos H. Donoso ◽  
Rex Bombet D. Saura ◽  
Rolit Joan C. Ferol ◽  
Juliet Ruth D. Mozar ◽  
...  

Lake Mainit is one of the largest lakes recognized as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) in the Philippines with rich fishery resources. However, the lake is at risk from heavy metal contamination due to inputs of industrial, agricultural effluents and small-scale mining activities. The present work evaluated levels of heavy metals namely cadmium, lead, and mercury from key aquatic fauna and sediments from seven strategic sections of the lake in 2018. Muscle samples of all seven fish species assessed were below detections limits (BDL) for tHg and Cd. Trace concentrations of Pb in the muscles were detected in Oreochromis niloticus, Glossogobius giuris, Channa striata and Vivipara angularis but values were within safe ranges. Trace concentrations of Pb in the riverine crab (Sundathelpusa sp) exceeded safe limits. Both Cd and tHg were below detection limits in the three invertebrates assessed. Traces of Pb were detected in S4 (Magtiaco) and S5 (Jaliobong) below standard limits (0.05 ppm) only during the southwest (SW) monsoon but Pb were not detected across all stations during the NE monsoon of 2018. For Cd, however, trace concentrations were detected only during the NE monsoon wherein Cd in S2 (Mayag), S3 (Magpayang), S4 (Magtiaco), S5 (Jaliobong), S6 (Dinarawan) and S7 (Kalinawan) exceeded standard limits for Cd in waters (0.01 ppm). Concentrations of tHg in the water were not detected across the two sampling seasons in all seven tributary stations. In sediments, Pb were all detected during the southwest monsoon with highest Pb concentrations in S6 (Dinarawan) and S7 (Kalinawan) which exceeded safe limits. Trace Cd in sediments were mostly below detectable limits. Concentrations of tHg in sediments exceeded safe limits during the SE monsoon in S4 (Magtiaco) and S7 (Kalinawan) areas. These findings recommended that continuous heavy metal monitoring must be conducted. It is also strongly suggested to evaluate the presence of heavy metals in other aquatic organisms and assess the ecological risk posed by these heavy metals though heavy metal speciation analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Alina A. Makarenko ◽  
Petr G. Shevchenko ◽  
Iryna S. Kononenko ◽  
Vadym M. Kondratyk ◽  
Dmytro S. Khrystenko ◽  
...  

The growth of man-caused load on natural objects, including surface waters, gave impetus to the studying for issue of water pollution in Ukraine by various pollutants. Especially relevant for us are the studies of fishery reservoirs as a direct environment for growing quality aquaculture products. Among the toxic compounds contained in reservoirs, one of the first places is occupied by heavy metals. On the one hand, heavy metals, as pollutants in natural waters, pose a great danger because even in relatively small concentrations they can adversely affect aquatic organisms. On the other hand, in microquantities most heavy metals (except mercury, cadmium and lead) are a natural and even essential component of living cells of aquatic organisms, including fish [17,19].Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, Pb, Co, Ni, Cd in the organs and tissues of the bighead carphybrid form, which was cultivated in ponds from highly urbanized territory, are distributed heterogeneously and their level of content depends not only on the physical and chemical characteristics of the aquatic environment or this heavy metals biochemical activities force in fish organisms, but also on functional features of concrete organs and tissues of the latter. Results of our investigations showed that above mentioned heavy metals were characterised by high levels of content in the organs and tissues of hybrid silver x bigheadcarp. Highest content in organism of hybrid are lead, cobalt, and cadmium. Highest concentration of heavy metals in our investigations was recorded in gills, because it is the first defence line of fish organism from environmental pollutants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Ali Sayqal ◽  
Omar B. Ahmed

The pollution of toxic heavy metals is considered one of the most important environmental issues which has accelerated dramatically due to changing industrial activities. This review focuses on the most common methods, strategies, and biological approaches of heavy metal bioremediation. Also, it provides a general overview of the role of microorganisms in the bioremediation of heavy metals in polluted environments. Advanced methods of heavy metal remediation include physicochemical and biological methods; the latter can be further classified into in situ and ex situ bioremediation. The in situ process includes bioventing, biosparging, biostimulation, bioaugmentation, and phytoremediation. Ex situ bioremediation includes land farming, composting, biopiles, and bioreactors. Bioremediation uses naturally occurring microorganisms such as Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Rhodococcus, Alcaligenes, and Mycobacterium. Generally, bioremediation is of very less effort, less labor intensive, cheap, ecofriendly, sustainable, and relatively easy to implement. Most of the disadvantages of bioremediation relate to the slowness and time-consumption; furthermore, the products of biodegradation sometimes become more toxic than the original compound. The performance evaluation of bioremediation might be difficult as it has no acceptable endpoint. There is a need for further studies to develop bioremediation technologies in order to find more biological solutions for bioremediation of heavy metal contamination from different environmental systems.


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