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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living Resources
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1449589

Unveiling concentrations of trace elements in the Lower Indus River: Risks to aquatic life and human health

Provisionally accepted
Muhammad Waseem Boota Muhammad Waseem Boota 1*Shan e Hyder Soomro Shan e Hyder Soomro 2Haoming Xia Haoming Xia 1Yaochen Qin Yaochen Qin 1Muhammad Bilal Idrees Muhammad Bilal Idrees 3Ayesha Yousaf Ayesha Yousaf 4
  • 1 Henan University, Kaifeng, China
  • 2 China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei Province, China
  • 3 Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
  • 4 Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Concentration of trace elements (CTEs) is a significant environmental concern worldwide. This study assessed CTEs levels in the Lower Indus River (LIR) by analyzing CTEs in water, sediments, tissues of fish (Cirrhinus mrigala), and macrophytes using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The study shows that CTEs range -Arsenic (As, 58.7-112.1 μg/l), lead (Pb, 59.9-95.6 μg/l), Cadmium (Cd, 3.8-8.1 μg/l), nickel (Ni, 40.9-63.4 μg/l), and zinc (Zn, 590.7-847.6 μg/l)and water parameters (temperature, pH, COD, BOD, turbidity, alkalinity) exceeded WHO (2011) acceptable limits. The CTEs (mg/ kg dried basis) were analyzed in fish tissues, and As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn have the accumulation order as liver > gill > muscle, respectively. Contrarily, Ag and Pb were present in higher amounts in gills than in the liver (gill > liver > muscle). Prediction of bioavailability of CTEs, with the extraction of sediment load with EDTA, revealed that As, Cd, and Zn were among the most bioavailable elements in the LIR. Health risk assessment indicated that the presence of CTEs in the fish could pose potential adverse health effects on humans. The study emphasizes significant ecological and health concerns due to fish consumption in the affected region, noting high risks of non-carcinogenic effects. These insights are essential for policymakers and stakeholders in Sindh Province to manage and reduce trace element pollution.

    Keywords: Trace element concentration, Cirrhinus mrigala, bioavailability, health risk assessment, Lower Indus River

    Received: 15 Jun 2024; Accepted: 24 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Boota, Soomro, Xia, Qin, Idrees and Yousaf. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Muhammad Waseem Boota, Henan University, Kaifeng, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.