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Potentially toxic metals in seawater, sediment and seaweeds: bioaccumulation, ecological and human health risk assessment

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Abstract

This study assesses the bioaccumulation, ecological, and health risks associated with potentially toxic metals (PTMs), including Pb, Hg, Cd, As, and Cr in Hare Island, Thoothukudi. The results revealed that the concentration of PTMs in sediment, seawater, and S. wightii ranged from 0.095 to 2.81 mg kg−1, 0.017 to 1.515 mg L−1, and 0.076 to 5.713 mg kg−1, respectively. The highest concentrations of PTMs were found in the S. wightii compared to seawater and sediment. The high bioaccumulation of Hg and As in S. wightii suggests that it can be used as a bioindicator for these elements in this region. The ecological risk indices, which include individual, complex, biological, and ecological pollution indices, suggest that Hare Island had moderate contamination with Hg and Cd. However, there are no human health risks associated with PTMs. This study examines the current ecological and health risks associated with PTMs and emphasizes the importance of regular monitoring.

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Acknowledgements

The merit fellowship obtained by the first author from Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (TNFU) as a part of his PhD degree program is acknowledged. The authors express their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project Number (RSP2024R228) King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fish Quality Assurance and Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU), Tamil Nadu, Tuticorin, 628 008, India

    Shanmugam Sundhar, Ulaganathan Arisekar, Robinson Jeya Shakila, Rajendran Shalini, Balasubramanian Sivaraman & Arjunan Karthy

  2. Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mysoon M. Al-Ansari & Nora Dahmash Al-Dahmash

  3. Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600 077, India

    R. Mythili

  4. Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea

    Woong Kim

  5. Department of Fisheries and Fisherman Welfare, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Tuticorin, India

    J. S. Jenishma

Authors
  1. Shanmugam Sundhar
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  2. Ulaganathan Arisekar
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  3. Robinson Jeya Shakila
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  4. Rajendran Shalini
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  5. Mysoon M. Al-Ansari
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  7. R. Mythili
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  8. Woong Kim
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  9. Balasubramanian Sivaraman
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  10. J. S. Jenishma
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  11. Arjunan Karthy
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Contributions

Authors' Contributions SS and RJS conceptualization and writing original draft; RS and UA Methodology, review and editing; MMAA, WK and NDD worked in software; BS and JSJ helped in formal analysis and review; AK worked in investigation. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shanmugam Sundhar or Ulaganathan Arisekar.

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Sundhar, S., Arisekar, U., Shakila, R.J. et al. Potentially toxic metals in seawater, sediment and seaweeds: bioaccumulation, ecological and human health risk assessment. Environ Geochem Health 46, 35 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01789-0

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