Distribution of Heavy Metals in Sediments and Soft Tissues of the <i>Cerithidea obtusa</i> from Sepang River, Malaysia

Abstract

The main purpose of the research was to analyze the distribution of Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co), Mangan (Mn), and Zinc (Zn) in soft tissues, shells, and associated surface sediments of Cerithidea obtusa (C. obtusa) mangrove snails collected from Sungai Besar Sepang. The concentration of iron (Fe) was found to be the highest in relation to other toxic elements in sediments, soft tissues, and shells of C. obtusa. The concentrations of Cu and Zn in soft tissues of C. obtusa were found to exceed the concentrations in sediments, indicating bioaccumulation of these metals. Metal pollution was assessed with the Enrichment Factor (EF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), and Pollution Factor (CF). EF, Igeo, and CF were 0.34 to 22.41, -3.37 to 2.65, and 0.14 to 9.42, respectively. The results indicate that sediments in Sungai Besar Sepang are contaminated with As and Zn. According to the bivalve bioaccumulation results, the soft tissues of C. obtusa act as a macro-concentrator for Cu and Zn. As a result, it is suggested that ongoing monitoring of releases of heavy metals from anthropogenic sources and stricter environmental protection measures should be implemented.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Mangrove Sediments of the Sepang Besar River, West Coast Peninsular Malaysia

“…Another noticeable alteration was the removal and degradation of mangroves at the mouth of the Sungai Sepang Besar river. Changes in land use and land cover in Sepang District have altered river features and resulted in a marked shift in mangroves [15,35].…”

Bioaccumulation of Metals in Mangrove Snail (Cerithidea obtusa) from Southwest Johor, Malaysia

“…Environmental pollution is an environmental threat and a major concern. In recent years, there has been an increase in the pollution of the marine environment as a result of the exponential growth in the human population and the subsequent increasing trend of anthropogenic pressure, which poses a threat to all aquatic ecosystems [1][2][3]. Human activities have led to unprecedented levels of environmental pollution in many coastal and river regions worldwide [4,5].…”

“…Additionally, non-essential metals, such as hazardous metals released into water from microscopic suspended particles, might affect the feeding rate and metabolic efficiency of bivalve molluscs [11]. The ecology of the species, eating habits, environmental variables, and circumstances all have an impact on their abundance in fish tissue [1]. However, the excretion and bioaccumulation of toxins in aquatic animals are all influenced by the marine food web, the environment and the place of origin [1,12].…”

“…The ecology of the species, eating habits, environmental variables, and circumstances all have an impact on their abundance in fish tissue [1]. However, the excretion and bioaccumulation of toxins in aquatic animals are all influenced by the marine food web, the environment and the place of origin [1,12].…”

Zinc Concentrations in Different Parts of the Gastropod, Faunus ater, Collected from Intertidal Areas of Peninsular Malaysia

“…Aquatic mollusks have a tendency to accumulate heavy metals to larger levels in their various components, reaching concentrations that are noticeably higher than those of the ambient water concentrations [11,12]. Furthermore, Rainbow [13] asserts that the use of particular organisms as biomonitors of the bioavailability of heavy metals in coastal waters enables comparisons to be made across time and space because biomonitors off er integrated measurements of the ambient metal concentrations that are ecotoxicologically signifi cant in those waters.…”