Distribution of potentially toxic elements in sediments of the municipal river channel (Balu), Dhaka, Bangladesh: Ecological and health risks assessment
Md Muzammel Hossain , Iffat Jahan , Abdullah Al Nahian , Karen H. Johannesson , Stephen J. Maxwell , Daochen Zhu
{"title":"Distribution of potentially toxic elements in sediments of the municipal river channel (Balu), Dhaka, Bangladesh: Ecological and health risks assessment","authors":"Md Muzammel Hossain , Iffat Jahan , Abdullah Al Nahian , Karen H. Johannesson , Stephen J. Maxwell , Daochen Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.jconhyd.2024.104492","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concern of potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in the river ecosystem is growing due to anthropological activity. The contents of seven PTEs in sediments from the Balu River channel were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and an environmental risk model. Several PTEs were found in the sediment at high levels, including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and mercury (Hg), that might pose a risk to human and ecological health. The highest mean concentration of PTEs in sediment followed in decreasing order Zn (1365.21 mg/kg) > Cu (149.34 mg/kg) > Pb (46.34 mg/kg) > Ni (34.78 mg/kg) > As (6.31 mg/kg) > Cd (2.34 mg/kg) > Hg (1.03 mg/kg). In addition, most of these PTEs were significantly correlated (<em>p</em> < 0.05) among the sites and exceeded the safety guideline value. The geo-accumulation index (<em>Igeo</em>), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI) showed high levels of PTEs contamination and moderately polluted to highly polluted levels of these elements. At the BL3, BL4, and BL6 sites within the study site, the ecological risk (PERI) score was extremely high, and the PERI values range found was from 75.39 to 355.72. Every PTE had a slightly greater concentration during the dry season than the wet season. Interestingly, PTE accumulation from sediment indicated non-carcinogenic risk (<span><math><msub><mi>HQ</mi><mi>dermal</mi></msub></math></span>) in human health, whereas most of the sites showed carcinogenic risk (<span><math><msub><mi>CR</mi><mi>dermal</mi></msub></math></span>) to human health (adult and child) due to Cd and Ni accumulation. Multivariate statistical analysis (MVSA) indicated the most likely anthropological sources were the untreated wastes discharged in the river sampling area. People who come into contact with polluted sediments are constantly exposed to Ni and Cd pollution, which increases the risk of cancer and non-cancerous diseases. So, continuous PTE monitoring is advised by this study to assess ecological and human health risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15530,"journal":{"name":"Journal of contaminant hydrology","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 104492"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of contaminant hydrology","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169772224001967","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The concern of potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in the river ecosystem is growing due to anthropological activity. The contents of seven PTEs in sediments from the Balu River channel were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and an environmental risk model. Several PTEs were found in the sediment at high levels, including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and mercury (Hg), that might pose a risk to human and ecological health. The highest mean concentration of PTEs in sediment followed in decreasing order Zn (1365.21 mg/kg) > Cu (149.34 mg/kg) > Pb (46.34 mg/kg) > Ni (34.78 mg/kg) > As (6.31 mg/kg) > Cd (2.34 mg/kg) > Hg (1.03 mg/kg). In addition, most of these PTEs were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) among the sites and exceeded the safety guideline value. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI) showed high levels of PTEs contamination and moderately polluted to highly polluted levels of these elements. At the BL3, BL4, and BL6 sites within the study site, the ecological risk (PERI) score was extremely high, and the PERI values range found was from 75.39 to 355.72. Every PTE had a slightly greater concentration during the dry season than the wet season. Interestingly, PTE accumulation from sediment indicated non-carcinogenic risk () in human health, whereas most of the sites showed carcinogenic risk () to human health (adult and child) due to Cd and Ni accumulation. Multivariate statistical analysis (MVSA) indicated the most likely anthropological sources were the untreated wastes discharged in the river sampling area. People who come into contact with polluted sediments are constantly exposed to Ni and Cd pollution, which increases the risk of cancer and non-cancerous diseases. So, continuous PTE monitoring is advised by this study to assess ecological and human health risks.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Contaminant Hydrology is an international journal publishing scientific articles pertaining to the contamination of subsurface water resources. Emphasis is placed on investigations of the physical, chemical, and biological processes influencing the behavior and fate of organic and inorganic contaminants in the unsaturated (vadose) and saturated (groundwater) zones, as well as at groundwater-surface water interfaces. The ecological impacts of contaminants transported both from and to aquifers are of interest. Articles on contamination of surface water only, without a link to groundwater, are out of the scope. Broad latitude is allowed in identifying contaminants of interest, and include legacy and emerging pollutants, nutrients, nanoparticles, pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses, protozoa), microplastics, and various constituents associated with energy production (e.g., methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide).
The journal''s scope embraces a wide range of topics including: experimental investigations of contaminant sorption, diffusion, transformation, volatilization and transport in the surface and subsurface; characterization of soil and aquifer properties only as they influence contaminant behavior; development and testing of mathematical models of contaminant behaviour; innovative techniques for restoration of contaminated sites; development of new tools or techniques for monitoring the extent of soil and groundwater contamination; transformation of contaminants in the hyporheic zone; effects of contaminants traversing the hyporheic zone on surface water and groundwater ecosystems; subsurface carbon sequestration and/or turnover; and migration of fluids associated with energy production into groundwater.