Transition Metals in Freshwater Crustaceans, Tilapia, and Inland Water: Hazardous to the Population of the Small Island Province

Abstract

This paper elaborates on the potential toxicants detected in inland water, freshwater crustaceans, and tilapia in an island that experienced mining disasters in 1993 and 1996. Specimen samples were collected in six municipalities of the island province in 2019 and presence of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). Potential ecological risks analysis followed the Hakanson approach. Canonical correspondence analysis PAST Version 3.22, IBM SPSS 25.0, and Pearson correlation were employed for statistical analysis, and GIS Pro 2.5 for mapping of sampling locations and spatial distribution. Results showed that Mn and Zn concentration was highest in surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW), respectively. All metal concentration values exceeded the maximum permissible limit by regulatory international organizations. Elevated concentration of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn was detected in both crustaceans and tilapia. The calculated health hazard indices were greater than one, which means potential high adverse effects on public health when ingested. The municipality of Sta. Cruz and Torrijos recorded higher potential ecological risk among the six municipalities. Results of the correlation analysis suggested that metals in SW and GW have a similar origin, mutual dependence, and identical behavior during transport.

Health Risks Due to Metal Concentrations in Soil and Vegetables from the Six Municipalities of the Island Province in the Philippines

“…To measure the adverse effects of soil contamination, the risk index (RI) approach established by Hakanson [47] was used. The approach requires four hypotheses elaborated by the work of Agarin et al [3]. The potential ecological risk index (pERI) considers the concentrations of metals, their environmental impact, and biotoxicity.…”

“…The potential ecological risk index (pERI) considers the concentrations of metals, their environmental impact, and biotoxicity. The RI is computed by following Equation (3).…”

“…Hence, copper mining operations were carried out in Marinduque since 2 of 26 1969 [1]. In 1964, the mining industry was established in the province [2]; however, the Maguilaguila siltation dam, a tailing pond, collapsed on 6 December 1993, allowing mine tailings to flow into the Mogpog River [3]. Mine tailings swamped the barangays along the river.…”

“…Mine tailings swamped the barangays along the river. On 24 March 1996, almost three years after the Maguilaguila mining disaster, the Tapian dam fell, flooding the 27-km-long Boac River with mine tailings [3]. The Boac River tailings deposits were thought to be a long-term source of acid and elevated concentrations of metals in the environment.…”

A Hybrid Neural Network–Particle Swarm Optimization Informed Spatial Interpolation Technique for Groundwater Quality Mapping in a Small Island Province of the Philippines

“…Cadmium and Ni (r = 0.78), Cd and Pb (r = 0.83), and Ni and Pb (r = 0.77) showed substantial positive associations. Positive significant correlations imply that these metals have a shared origin, were mutually dependent, and behaved similarly throughout transport [100].…”