Abstract
The present study measured concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, and Pb in surface sediments and two benthic invertebrate species (Anodonta woodiana and Bellamya aeruginosa) collected from Dianshan Lake, located in the Yangtze River Delta. The Dianshan Lake acts as one of the most important drinking water sources to Shanghai, the biggest city in China. Concentrations of trace metals and metalloids ranged from 0.04 mg/kg for Cd to 288.0 mg/kg for Zn. Substantial bioaccumulation in invertebrates was observed for Zn and Cu based on the biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) measurements. The results revealed that concentrations of metals and metalloids in sediments from Dianshan Lake were at the lower end of the range of levels found in other regions of China. The assessment of three significantly inter-related evaluation indices, including the geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), potential ecological risk factor (Eri), and mean probable effect concentration quotients (Qm-PEC), suggested that sediment-associated trace elements exhibited no considerable ecological risks in the studied watershed. However, the target hazard quotient and hazard index analysis suggested that selected elements (particularly As) accumulation in edible tissues of benthic invertebrates could pose potential health risks to local populations, especially fishermen. Given that wild aquatic organisms (e.g., fish and bivalves) constitute the diet of local populations as popular food/protein choices, further investigations are needed to better elucidate human health risks from metal and metalloid exposure via edible freshwater organisms.
Highlights
As a result of rapid urbanization and industrial development, elevated concentrations of trace metals and metalloids in freshwater systems have drawn mounting public concerns and been considered as a major threat to the world’s water resources (Hou et al 2013; Duzgoren-Aydin 2007; Mwanamoki et al 2015)
The body sizes of mussels and pond snails were 110–230 and 9–24 mm, respectively. These two benthic species are abundantly present in the Dianshan Lake as fundamental components of aquatic food webs, as well as popular food items consumed by residents in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region
Concentrations of trace elements in sediments from Dianshan Lake are summarized in Table 1, with ranges of 41.4–75.3, 23.3–54.3, 16.7–94.7, 51.7–304.4, 5.8–17.2, 0.03–0.11, 0.65–2.7, 15.8–28.3 μg/kg dw for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, and Pb, respectively
Summary
As a result of rapid urbanization and industrial development, elevated concentrations of trace metals and metalloids in freshwater systems have drawn mounting public concerns and been considered as a major threat to the world’s water resources (Hou et al 2013; Duzgoren-Aydin 2007; Mwanamoki et al 2015). Contaminant burdens in benthic invertebrates (e.g., mussels and snails) reflect timeintegrated exposure scenarios in water and benthic environments, ideal for monitoring anthropogenic pollution in aquatic systems (Kong et al 2016). These organisms have been extensively used to interpret potential impact of contamination on other aquatic biota, given their fundamental trophic status in the food webs (Bian et al 2008; Joksimovic et al 2011; Ma et al 2010). Bivalves are popular food sources in a number of regions worldwide, and their edible soft tissues may represent a potential exposure route of contaminants to humans (Storelli 2008; Usero et al 2004; Llobet et al 2003)
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