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Bioaccumulation of heavy metal in urban pond reared Oreochromis niloticus, water, sediment, and handmade feed in Bangladesh and human health risk implications

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Abstract

Metal pollution in commercial fish has become a severe community health issue throughout the world, including in Bangladesh. Trace metals are released into bodies of water from geologic, human-caused sources and even from the feed that fed fish which are easily absorbed in aquatic organisms. A study was done to investigate the extent of hazardous metal contamination in the most consumed fish, Oreochromis niloticus, from arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg), as well as their origins and the health risk to populations in the surrounding area. The concentration of experimented trace metals in water and sediment is not beyond the range of EPA (2002), USEPA (1999), and FAO (1985). Compared to other international criteria, the concentration of Pb, Cd, and Cr in fish samples exceeds the detection limit, including the limits of FAO (1983), WHO (2004), and the EU (2006). Higher concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, and As were observed in fish feed during the current research that above the limit of FAO (1983) and MOFL (2014). At the same time, the target hazard quotient (THQ), the hazard index (HI), the estimated daily intake (EDI), and the target cancer risk (TR) were all evaluated. In the case of target cancer risk (TR), tilapia consumption at present levels is harmless, but consistent and excessive consumption over a lifespan of more than 70 years puts people at risk of cancer. PCA was also employed to explain data variance. The Pearson correlation revealed a substantial relationship between the trace elements. This study will aid in the effective management and surveillance of this area and the people who live there.

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Data availability

On reasonable request, the data used to support the findings of this study can be obtained from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Center, 4-Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Ramna, Dhaka, for providing all technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences, Department of Zoology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, 1100, Bangladesh

    Dulon Roy, Farjana Rahman & Sheikh Saiful Islam

  2. Faculty of Science, Department of Statistics, Jagannath University, Dhaka, 1100, Bangladesh

    Smita Sarker

  3. Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Atomic Energy Centre Dhaka, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Shamshad Begum Quraishi & Mohammad Mozammal Hosen

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  1. Dulon Roy
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  2. Farjana Rahman
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  3. Sheikh Saiful Islam
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  4. Smita Sarker
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  5. Shamshad Begum Quraishi
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  6. Mohammad Mozammal Hosen
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Contributions

Dulon Roy and Shamshad Begum Quraishi conceptualized and prepared the experiments; Shamshad Begum Quraishi provided all laboratory equipment; Farjana Rahman and Sheikh Saiful Islam carried out the examinations; Smita Sarker, Farjana Rahman, and Mohammad Mozammal Hosen analyzed the data; and Dulon Roy wrote the paper. The final manuscript was read and approved by all of the authors.

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Correspondence to Dulon Roy.

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This research focuses on the harmful metal concentrations accumulated in farmed tilapia O. niloticus and their sources. Tilapia is a type of edible fish that people of the country eat very frequently.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Amjad Kallel

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Roy, D., Rahman, F., Islam, S.S. et al. Bioaccumulation of heavy metal in urban pond reared Oreochromis niloticus, water, sediment, and handmade feed in Bangladesh and human health risk implications. Arab J Geosci 15, 959 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10260-w

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