Long-term investigation of heavy metal variations in mollusks along the Chinese Bohai Sea

Abstract

Biomonitoring is an effective way to assess the effects of pollutants on marine ecosystems. As an important fishing region in China, the Chinese Bohai Sea has been contaminated with heavy metals, posing great risks to seafood safety and human health. Herein, the spatiotemporal variations in the concentrations of seven heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 11 species of mollusks (658 samples) collected from the Chinese Bohai Sea were studied during 2006–2016. The concentrations of Cr, As, Cd, and Pb in approximately 41%, 100%, 71%, and 18% of the sampled mollusks exceeded the maximum permissible levels in aquatic products set by China, indicating that the mollusks were contaminated with varied concentrations of heavy metals. Except for slight fluctuations, no significant temporal variations were observed during the sampling period, suggesting a relatively stable status of these metals. Cluster analysis showed that oyster had higher bioaccumulation potential for Zn and Cu, whereas Mactra veneriformis, Rapana venosa, Meretrix meretrix, Chlamys farreri, and Mya arenaria had higher bioaccumulation potentials for Cr, As, Ni, Cd, and Pb, respectively. These findings are useful for biomonitoring and developing guidelines for seafood consumption in coastal regions. Significant relationships were observed between heavy metal concentrations in mollusks and socioeconomic indices (gross domestic product, per capita gross domestic product, and population amount), suggesting the effects of anthropogenic activities on heavy metal contamination. Our study established a good model to evaluate the risks of heavy metals and provided a sound scientific basis for controlling seafood safety in coastal regions.