Bioaccumulation of carcinogenic metals in river fish: A quantitative investigation of public health risk

作者：Ramish, Muhammad Atif Irshad, Rab Nawaz, Iqra Nasim, Ali Irfan, Azhar Hussain, Aamal A. Al‐Mutairi, Muhammad Rizwan, Sami A. Al‐Hussain, Magdi E. A. Zaki · 发表于：Ecological Indicators · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112057 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Heavy metals in environment、Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology、Water Quality and Pollution Assessment

The rivers are severely contaminated by human activities due to its massive outflow and industrial effluents. Three economically significant fish species Sperata seenghala, Wallago attu, and Cyprinus carpio from the river water were selected for the assessment of heavy metals (HMs). The edible part of the collected fish from the river sampling sites were analyzed to determine the metal concentrations and potential health risks to humans. The Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) technique was used to measure HMs including lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu) for both water and fish samples. Order of HMs in the fish was found as Pb > Cd > Cr. Levels of HMs in all species were found higher than the European Commission (EC) recommended acceptable levels. The metal pollution index (MPI) indicates that W. attu and S. seenghala, two highly consumed fish species, have accumulated HMs in higher concentrations. Wallago attu has the highest bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for both Pb and Cd permissible levels. For adult and children, the Hazard Index (HI) and Targeted Hazard Quotient (THQ) values were less than 1, which indicated that there would be no non-carcinogenic health consequences. Carcinogenic risk (CR) exposure to Pb, Cd, and Cr for all consumers was found to be higher than the permitted limit (10−6-10−4), while children were found more vulnerable than adults in terms of CR values. The study findings identified several sources of contaminants in the area, including agricultu...