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Trace metal load of two urban wetlands with varied catchment activities in Ghana

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Abstract

This study compared Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As) and Cadmium (Cd) concentrations in sediment, water, and biota at Vaughan Dam which receives limited sewage effluent discharge from residential areas, and Korle Lagoon which receives industrial effluents, electronic waste, garages-spill oil and a host of others in addition to residential sewage effluent discharge. Samples were analyzed with Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The results showed that concentrations of trace metals were generally higher in the sediment, water, and plants from the Korle Lagoon but only Cu in the sediment of Korle Lagoon showed a significantly high concentration. The similarities in the rank orders of the metal concentrations together with the dominance of Zn and Pb in most compartments of the wetlands indicated major differences did not exist in the contaminant input to the two wetlands except electronic waste recycling and disposal that resulted in significantly high copper concentrations in the sediment of Korle Lagoon. No evidence of biomagnification was determined along the food chains of the Vaughan Dam and the Korle Lagoon for all the metals studied.The Tilapia zilli from Vaughan Dam, the only biota that is regularly consumed from the wetlands, had Cr, Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg, and As concentrations above FAO/WHO permissible limits and therefore pose a health risk to consumers.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Mrs. Rachel Nkrumah, Mr. Christian K. Agbanyo, Ms. Rhoda Yeboah, Ms. Mabel Jessie Osabutey-Aguedze, Mr. Prince Owusu, Dr. J.K. Adomako and the entire staff of Ecological Laboratory, University of Ghana, who assisted with the field and laboratory analysis.

Funding

This work did not receive any funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 55. Legon, Accra, Ghana

    Ebenezer Owusu

  2. Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 67. Legon, Accra, Ghana

    Emmanuel Robert Blankson, Regina Gyesiwaah Awunyo, Yassin Adams, Vera Oduro, Brown Shadrack Kpakpo & Francis Gbogbo

Authors
  1. Ebenezer Owusu
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  2. Emmanuel Robert Blankson
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  3. Regina Gyesiwaah Awunyo
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  4. Yassin Adams
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  5. Vera Oduro
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  6. Brown Shadrack Kpakpo
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  7. Francis Gbogbo
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Contributions

Conception and design of the study: Francis Gbogbo, Emmanuel R. Blankson

Resources: Francis Gbogbo, Emmanuel R. Blankson, Ebenezer Owusu, Regina Gyesiwaah Awunyo, Adams Yassin, Vera Oduro, and Brown Shadrack Kpakpo.

Data collection and analysis: Regina Gyesiwaah Awunyo, Adams Yassin, Vera Oduro, Brown Shadrack Kpakpo, Emmanuel Robert Blankson

Supervision: Francis Gbogbo, Emmanuel Robert Blankson

Writing – Original Draft: Francis Gbogbo and Emmanuel Robert Blankson.

Writing – Reviewing and Editing: Gbogbo, Ebenezer Owusu, Emmanuel R. Blankson

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francis Gbogbo.

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Owusu, E., Blankson, E.R., Awunyo, R.G. et al. Trace metal load of two urban wetlands with varied catchment activities in Ghana. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1140 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11684-x

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