Assessment of metal contamination in water, sediment, and tissues of Arius thalassinus fish from the Red Sea coast of Yemen and the potential human risk assessment

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 22; no. 7; pp. 5481 - 5490
• Main Authors: Saleh, Yousef S, Marie, Mohamed-Assem S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.04.2015; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air pollution; Animal tissues; Animals; Aquatic Pollution; Arius; Arius thalassinus; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cadmium; Catfish; Catfishes - metabolism; Coastal environments; Coasts; Consumption; copper; Correlation; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental changes; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Monitoring - statistics & numerical data; Environmental science; Fish; fish consumption; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Global positioning systems; GPS; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Heavy metals; Humans; Indian Ocean; iron; Lead; Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Metals, Heavy - metabolism; nickel; Pollutants; Pollution; Pollution abatement; Regression Analysis; Research Article; risk; Risk Assessment; Seawater - chemistry; Sediments; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Studies; tissues; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; Yemen; Red Sea; Yemen; Indian Ocean; ISW, Red Sea; ISW, Yemen; Red Sea; Pollution; Risk assessment; Heavy metal
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3780-0

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most serious environmental issues globally. To evaluate the metal pollution in the Red Sea coast of Hodeida, Yemen Republic, the concentrations of Fe, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cd in water, sediment, and some vital organs of sea catfish, Arius thalassinus collected from polluted and unpolluted sites, were determined. The risk of these metals to humans through fish consumption was then assessed. The results showed that the concentration order of metals in water, sediment, and fish tissues were Fe > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cd. The levels of studied metals in water, sediment, and fish tissues were significantly higher in the polluted site than those of the unpolluted site, with few exceptions. Linear correlation incorporating paired variables (water-sediment, water-fish, and fish-fish) exhibited several significant correlations indicating a common metal pollution. The risk assessment performed revealed that fish consumption was safe for consumers. This field investigation provides a baseline data on metal pollution in this region.