Heavy Metal Accumulation in Lake Sediments, Fish (Oreochromis niloticus and Serranochromis thumbergi), and Crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in Lake Itezhi-tezhi and Lake Kariba, Zambia

Abstract

Heavy metal accumulation in lake sediments, fish (Oreochromis niloticus and Serranochromis thumbergi) and crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in Lake Itezhi-tezhi and Lake Kariba, AbstractWe measured the level of heavy metal accumulation in lake sediments, herbivorous (Oreochromis niloticus) and carnivorous (Serranochromis thumbergi) fish, and crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) from Lake Itezhi-tezhi (ITT) and Lake Kariba. We used atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) to quantify the levels of 7 heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Ni). The sediment and the herbivorous fish O. niloticus accumulated a very high concentration of Cu in Lake ITT, most likely due to the discharge of Cu waste from a mining area 450 km upstream. The aquatic species we sampled in Lake Kariba had higher concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Pb relative to those in Lake ITT. This is most likely due to anthropogenic activities, such as the use of leaded petrol and anti-fouling agents in marine paints. Interestingly, we observed a negative correlation between the coefficient of condition .

Tissue Distribution and Correlation Profiles of Heavy-Metal Accumulation in the Freshwater Crayfish Astacus leptodactylus

“…Generally speaking, 52 Cr displayed correlations with a greater number of metals compared with 53 Cr. Male specimens' Cr-Ni correlations in hepatopancreas is similar to the results of Nakayama et al (liver results) performed on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), whereas Cr-Pb results are dissimilar (Nakayama et al 2010).…”

Geographic Information System-Based Source Estimation of Copper Pollution in Lake Itezhi-tezhi and Metal-Accumulation Profiles in Oreochromis spp. from Both Field and Laboratory Studies

“…1). In agreement with previous studies that reported high concentrations of Cu in water and sediment around mining areas in the Copperbelt region (Choongo et al, 2005;Ikenaka et al, 2010;Mwase et al, 1998;Norrgren et al, 2000), we observed that Cu pollution occurred in the northern part of the lake, probably from the Copperbelt mining area, where Cu wastes passed through the Kafue River and reached Lake ITT located in the Kafue National Park. On the contrary, Cd and Hg distribution patterns were different from those of Cu.…”

“…Approximately 40% of the sediments showed higher concentrations of Cu compared with the benchmark value, while Cd and Hg concentrations were below the benchmark value (Forstner, 1981;Yabe et al, 2010). Moreover, current results in Lake ITT sediments showed higher concentrations of Cu compared with the Cu levels in sediments from Lake Kariba in Zambia (6-56 mg/kg dry-wt, Student's t-test, (Nakayama et al, 2010)). According to GIS analysis, relatively higher concentrations of Cu were recorded in the sediment from the northern part of the lake, suggesting that Cu wastes actually reached Lake ITT (Fig.…”

“…The coefficient of condition (K) in fish was calculated for each sample using the formula K = (W/L 3 ) × 10 2 , where, K = coefficient of condition, W = weight in grams, and L = standard length in centimeters (Choongo et al, 2005;Nakayama et al, 2010).…”

Metal and metalloid contamination in roadside soil and wild rats around a Pb–Zn mine in Kabwe, Zambia

“…Metals were extracted from the soil samples using a method modified from our previous study (Nakayama et al, 2010). Briefly, 1 g of each soil sample was placed in a 200 mL flask.…”