Seasonal Assessment of Ecological and Human Health Risks of Trace Metals in the Saigon River Surface Water, Vietnam

Abstract

River water pollution with potentially toxic elements can be quantified via hydrological studies, while its potential impacts on the ecosystem and human health can be assessed via the indices of ecological risk (RI) and human health hazard (HI). This study aims to assess potential ecological and human health risks of trace‐element pollution of the Saigon River surface water, based on seasonal, position, and tidal changes. Surface water samples are taken during dry and rainy seasons and analyzed for Cu, Cr, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn. The trace‐element concentrations are used to compute RI and HI. Of the six elements, Cu accounted for 87.7 and 12.5% of the total variance of RI and HI, respectively. The RI and HI values are strongly correlated and are higher in dry season than in rainy season. The HI value of >1 for children suggests that children's health may be sensitive to the adverse impacts of the current status of the trace‐element pollution. Overall, the trace‐element pollution of the river surface water is at a moderate ecological risk in dry season but at a low ecological risk in rainy season. The potentially hazardous elements can have detrimental impacts on children's health in both seasons.