Potential of Using Land Snails (Eobania vermiculata and Monacha obstructa) for Monitoring the Essential and Non-Essential Heavy Metal in Ismailia City, Egypt

Abstract

ABSTRACT To assess the role of land snails as the monitor for heavy metal pollution and to determine the species-specific accumulation of metals in Eobania vermiculata and Monacha obstructa. A field survey of heavy metals was carried out in two different areas in Ismailia city, Egypt. The study was conducted to evaluate the essential and non-essential heavy metals in the tissue of land snails and compared them with their levels in shell and soil to find out which can accumulate more biotic or abiotic?. The heavy metals concentrations of essential and non-essential heavy metals of soft tissues of two snail species and sediment collected from Ring Road, Ismailia, in Egypt had the highest levels of heavy metals as compared to another site in most seasons except in spring season levels of essential (Cu, Mn, Zn, Co, Mo, Ca and Mg) and non-essential metals (Cd, Pb, Al, and B) were higher in El-Balah Road than Ring Road. Therefore, El Balah Road was less polluted as compared with Ring Road which was more crowded with cars. The ranges of essential metals in samples of the soft tissue of E. vermiculata along with the two sites, Ring Road and El Balah Road, were higher for Ca and Mg than other essential metals. However, Al as a non-essential metal in soft tissue samples of E. vermiculata for the two sites was the most common metal. Moreover, the levels of the same metals were elevated in M. obstructa along with the two sites. The results indicated that E. vermiculata and M. obstructa soft tissues do not reflect the environmental bioavailability of heavy metals as the shells do. Therefore, the shells of E. vermiculata and M. obstructa could be considered as a more useful bioindicator for Co, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo, Ca, Mg, and Pb.