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Preliminary assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from a river in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Contamination of heavy metals in sediment is regarded as a major crisis globally, with a large SHARE in developing countries, such as Bangladesh. The objective of this study is to assess the contamination level and seasonal variation of heavy metals and their ecological risk in sediments. Heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) in sediments were investigated from eight different sites of Paira River situated at the southern part of Bangladesh and metals were measured by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The mean concentration of Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb in sediments was 45, 34, 30, 12, 0.72 and 25 mg/kg dw, respectively. Metals in sediment during winter were higher than summer season. The concentrations of metals in sediment were compared with both background and toxicological reference values. The comparative results suggested that the selected metals created an adverse effect on the aquatic ecosystems of the studied river. The pollution load index for three sites were higher than baseline values indicating progressive deterioration of sediments by heavy metal. Potential ecological risks of metals in sediment indicated moderate to considerable risk. This study suggested that more attention should be directed to the comprehensive risk assessment of heavy metals of this riverine aquatic environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the authority of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Bangladesh and Yokohama National University, Japan for providing laboratory facilities to analyze samples. The authors also delighted to express their gratefulness and sincerest thanks to Professor Dr. Syed Shakhwat Husain (Ex Vice Chancellor, PSTU), for his valuable suggestions and cooperation to carry out this research. Furthermore, we are thankful for the kind help from the members of the Department of Soil Science Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Bangladesh during the field sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali, 8602, Bangladesh

    Md. Saiful Islam & Md. Fazlul Hoque

  2. Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan

    Md. Saiful Islam & Md. Habibullah-Al-Mamun

  3. Department of Fisheries, Dhaka University, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    Md. Kawser Ahmed & Md. Habibullah-Al-Mamun

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  1. Md. Saiful Islam
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  3. Md. Habibullah-Al-Mamun
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Correspondence to Md. Saiful Islam.

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Islam, M.S., Ahmed, M.K., Habibullah-Al-Mamun, M. et al. Preliminary assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from a river in Bangladesh. Environ Earth Sci 73, 1837–1848 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3538-5

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