Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Metal Concentrations in Sediment And Biota of the Huludao Coast in Liaodong Bay and Associated Human and Ecological Health Risks

  • Published:
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study assessed the contamination extent and potential ecological and human health impacts for chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in sediments and indigenous benthic organisms along the coastal area of Huludao, China. We analyzed a total of eight species: two benthic fish species, two bivalves, two snails, and two decapod crustaceans. Cu, Zn, and Cd levels in sediment exceeded the Chinese marine sediment quality criteria. The geoaccumulation index was highest for Cd followed in a decreasing order by Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Cr. Metal levels were highest in the four mollusk species. The oyster and veined rapa whelk had the highest bioaccumulation factors, indicating that these two species would be well suited for monitoring the metal pollution in this area. Our comparison of estimated daily intake values for human consumption of the seafood species to the Food and Agricultural Organization-recommended daily dietary allowances indicate potential health risks from the intake of Cd from all shellfish other than our crab species and Zn intake from oyster consumption. An analysis of target hazard quotients identified noncarcinogenic health risks from Cd (in all shellfish analyzed except for our crab species), Cu, and Zn (in oysters and veined rapa whelks). Moreover, an analysis of cancer risk from Pb ingestion detected an increased risk for consumption of all shellfish except for the crab species. Health risks seem especially pronounced for the consumption of oysters and the veined rapa whelks; a seafood advisory may be warranted for these mollusks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allan R (1997) Introduction: mining and metals in the environment. J Geochem Explor 58:95–100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bakulski KM et al (2014) Lead exposure, B vitamins, and plasma homocysteine in men 55 years of age and older: the VA Normative Aging Study. Environ Health Perspect 122:1066–1074

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beliaeff B, O’Connor TP, Claisse D (1998) Comparison of chemical concentrations in mussels and oysters from the United States and France. Environ Monit Assess 49:87–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bragigand V, Berthet B, Amiard JC, Rainbow PS (2004) Estimates of trace metal bioavailability to humans ingesting contaminated oysters. Food Chem Toxicol 42:1893–1902

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan GW (1968) Concentrations of zinc and copper in the tissues of decapod crustaceans. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 48:303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen MH, Chen CY (1999) Bioaccumulation of sediment-bound heavy metals in grey mullet, Liza macrolepis. Mar Pollut Bull 39:239–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Copat C, Bella F, Castaing M, Fallico R, Sciacca S, Ferrante M (2012) Heavy metals concentrations in fish from Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) and evaluation of possible health risks to consumers. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 88:78–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui BS, Zhang QJ, Zhang KJ, Liu XH, Zhang HG (2011) Analyzing trophic transfer of heavy metals for food webs in the newly-formed wetlands of the Yellow River Delta, China. Environ Pollut 159:1297–1306

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Astudillo LR, Yen IC, Agard J, Bekele I, Hubbard R (2002) Heavy metals in green mussel (Perna viridis) and oysters (Crassostrea sp.) from Trinidad and Venezuela. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 42:410–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diaz S, Martin-Gonzalez A, Gutierrez JC (2006) Evaluation of heavy metal acute toxicity and bioaccumulation in soil ciliated protozoa. Environ Int 32:711–717

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng HA et al (2011) Metal contamination in sediments of the western Bohai Bay and adjacent estuaries, China. J Environ Manag 92:1185–1197

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fishbein L (1981) Sources, transport and alterations of metal compounds—an overview. 1. Arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, and nickel. Environ Health Perspect 40:43–64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu JJ et al (2013) Influence of e-waste dismantling and its regulations: temporal trend, spatial distribution of heavy metals in rice grains, and its potential health risk. Environ Sci Technol 47:7437–7445

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao XL, Chen CTA (2012) Heavy metal pollution status in surface sediments of the coastal Bohai Bay. Water Res 46:1901–1911

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao X, Zhou F, Chen C-TA (2014) Pollution status of the Bohai Sea: an overview of the environmental quality assessment related trace metals. Environ Int 62:12–30

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hakanson L (1980) An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control—a sedimentological approach. Water Res 14:975–1001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hare L, Tessier A, Borgmann U (2003) Metal sources for freshwater invertebrates: pertinence for risk assessment. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 9:779–793

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu BQ, Li J, Zhao JT, Yang J, Bai FL, Dou YG (2013) Heavy metal in surface sediments of the Liaodong Bay, Bohai Sea: distribution, contamination, and sources. Environ Monit Assess 185:5071–5083

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (1982) Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. Twenty-sixth report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. WHO technical report series no. 683. WHO, Geneva

  • Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (1989) Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. Twenty-sixth report of the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. WHO technical report series no. 776. WHO, Geneva

  • Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (2000) Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. Twenty-sixth report of the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. WHO technical report series no. 896. WHO, Geneva

  • Kimbrough KL, Lauenstein G, Christensen J, Apeti D (2008) An assessment of two decades of contaminant monitoring in the nation’s coastal zone. NOAA/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang LN, He B, Jiang GB, Chen DY, Yao ZW (2004) Evaluation of mollusks as biomonitors to investigate heavy metal contaminations along the Chinese Bohai Sea. Sci Total Environ 324:105–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Menezes JA, Viana GFD, Paes CR (2012) Determinants of lead exposure in children on the outskirts of Salvador, Brazil. Environ Monit Assess 184:2593–2603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Müller G (1979) Schwermetalle in den Sedimenten des Rheins-Veränderungen seit. Umschau 79:778–783

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller G (1981) Die Schwermetallbelastung der Sedimente des Neckars und seiner Nebenflusse: Eine Bestandsaufnahme. Chemiker Zeitung 105:157–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadal M, Ferre-Huguet N, Marti-Cid R, Schuhmacher M, Domingo JL (2008) Exposure to metals through the consumption of fish and seafood by the population living near the Ebro River in Catalonia, Spain: Health risks. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 14:780–795

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (1989) National Research Council recommended dietary allowances, 10th edn. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, pp 241–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan K, Wang WX (2012) Trace metal contamination in estuarine and coastal environments in China. Sci Total Environ 421:3–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rainbow PS, Smith BD (2010) Trophic transfer of trace metals: subcellular compartmentalisation in bivalve prey and comparative assimilation efficiencies of two invertebrate predators. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 390:143–148

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Szebedinszky C, McGeer JC, McDonald DG, Wood CM (2001) Effects of chronic Cd exposure via the diet or water on internal organ-specific distribution and subsequent gill Cd uptake kinetics in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Environ Toxicol Chem 20:597–607

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thiyagarajan D, Dhaneesh KV, Kumar TTA, Kumaresan S, Balasubramanian T (2012) Metals in fish along the southeast coast of India. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 88:582–588

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (1989) Risk assessment guidance for superfund. Volume I. Human health evaluation manual (Part A), Interim final. EPA 540/1–89/002. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (2000) Guidance for assessing chemical contamination data for use in fish advisories. Volume II. Risk assessment and fish consumption limits. EPA/823-B94-004. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (2007) Concepts, methods and data sources for cumulative health risk assessment of multiple chemicals, exposures and effects: A resource document; EPA/600/R-06/013F. National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (2010) Risk-based concentration table. http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/risk/human/index.htm

  • Valavanidis A, Vlahogianni T, Dassenakis M, Scoullos M (2006) Molecular biomarkers of oxidative stress in aquatic organisms in relation to toxic environmental pollutants. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 64:178–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vallee BL (1959) Biochemistry, physiology and pathology of zinc. Physiol Rev 39:443–490

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vieira C, Morais S, Ramos S, Delerue-Matos C, Oliveira MBPP (2011) Mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic levels in three pelagic fish species from the Atlantic Ocean: intra- and inter-specific variability and human health risks for consumption. Food Chem Toxicol 49:923–932

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vodopivez C, Curtosi A, Villaamil E, Smichowski P, Pelletier E, Mac Cormack WP (2015) Heavy metals in sediments and soft tissues of the Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica: more evidence as a possible biomonitor of coastal marine pollution at high latitudes? Sci Total Environ 502:375–384

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang WX, Fisher NS (1999) Assimilation efficiencies of chemical contaminants in aquatic invertebrates: a synthesis. Environ Toxicol Chem 18:2034–2045

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YW, Liang L, Shi JB, Jiang GB (2005) Study on the contamination of heavy metals and their correlations in mollusks collected from coastal sites along the Chinese Bohai Sea. Environ Int 31:1103–1113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Chen S, Xia T (2010) Environmental risk assessment of heavy metals in Bohai Sea, North China. Procedia Environ Sci 2:1632–1642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (1996) Guidelines for drinking water quality, vol 2, 2nd edn. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZH, Zhu MY, Wang ZL, Wang J (2006) Monitoring and managing pollution load in Bohai Sea, PR China. Ocean Coast Manag 49:706–716

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng N, Wang QC, Zhang XW, Zheng DM, Zhang ZS, Zhang SQ (2007a) Population health risk due to dietary intake of heavy metals in the industrial area of Huludao city, China. Sci Total Environ 387:96–104

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng N, Wang QC, Zheng DM (2007b) Health risk of Hg, Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu to the inhabitants around Huludao zinc plant in china via consumption of vegetables. Sci Total Environ 383:81–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng N, Wang QC, Liang ZZ, Zheng DM (2008) Characterization of heavy metal concentrations in the sediments of three freshwater rivers in Huludao City, Northeast China. Environ Pollut 154:135–142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou F, Guo HC, Hao ZJ (2007) Spatial distribution of heavy metals in Hong Kong’s marine sediments and their human impacts: a GIS-based chemometric approach. Mar Pollut Bull 54:1372–1384

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Professor Peiwen Liang from the South China Sea Fishery Research Institute and Fangcan Chen from the Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, for their help with species identification. This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant (NSFC Nos. 31270549 and 41303087) and the One-Hundred Talent program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to L. Xie.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China

    Mi Gao, Xing Wu, Hongxing Chen & Lingtian Xie

  2. Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 42451, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA

    Paul L. Klerks

Authors
  1. Mi Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul L. Klerks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xing Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hongxing Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lingtian Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lingtian Xie.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gao, M., Klerks, P.L., Wu, X. et al. Metal Concentrations in Sediment And Biota of the Huludao Coast in Liaodong Bay and Associated Human and Ecological Health Risks. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 71, 87–96 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-016-0274-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-016-0274-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation