Trace Metal Dynamics in Niger Delta Mangrove: A Comprehensive Contamination, Pollution, and Bioaccumulation Modeling

Year 2024, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 37 - 53, 30.06.2024

Ibienebo Chris Davies , Imachrıs Ibienebo Davıes

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the spatial contamination, pollution load, and bioaccumulation of trace metals in the mangrove swamp of the Niger Delta Estuary, focusing on water, sediment, Periwinkles (P. fusca), and Whelks (T. fuscatus). Samples were collected from May and August 2023 and analyzed for heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, and As) across three stations in the Ibaka mangrove swamp, Upper Bonny River Creek, using standard methods. There were station-specific variations for Fe and Zn, while there were no such variations for Pb, Cd, Cu, and As. In surface water, significant differences were observed in Fe, Zn, and Pb concentrations between stations, while Cd, As, and Cu showed minor variations. Sediment analysis revealed varying concentrations of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu, and As across stations. The Pollution Load Index (PLI) for water indicated low pollution levels, while the sediment PLI showed elevated pollution in Station 3. Enrichment Factor (EF) values demonstrated significant contamination, especially for Cd. Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) values in T. fuscatus and P. fusca were generally below 1, suggesting a low risk of metal contamination to humans. The study underscores the significance of ongoing monitoring and mitigation measures for long-term ecosystem and community health, particularly in addressing heavy metal contamination in sediment.

Keywords

Mangrove, Contamination, Heavy Metal, Bioaccumulation, Pollution

Ethical Statement

There are no ethical issues with the publication of this manuscript.

Project Number

None

References

• Ahmed, A. S., Rahman, M., Sultana, S., Babu, S. O. F., and Sarker, M. S. I. 2019, Bioaccumulation and heavy metal concentration in tissues of some commercial fishes from the Meghna River Estuary in Bangladesh and human health implications. Marine pollution bulletin, 145, 436-447.
• Ahmed, M. K., Shaheen, N., Islam, M. S., Habibullah-al-Mamun, M., Islam, S., Mohiduzzaman, M., and Bhattacharjee, L. 2015, Dietary intake of trace elements from highly consumed cultured fish (Labeo rohita, Pangasius pangasius and Oreochromis mossambicus) and human health risk implications in Bangladesh. Chemosphere, 128, 284-292.
• Akankali J.A., Davies I.C. and Kpaniku, N. 2019, Assessment of heavy metals concentrations in the upper reaches of Bonny River, Niger Delta, Nigeria. African Journal of Agriculture Technology and Environment, 8(1): 62-73.
• Akindele, E. O., Omisakin, O. D., Oni, O. A., Aliu, O. O., Omoniyi, G. E., and Akinpelu, O. T. 2020, Heavy metal toxicity in the water column and benthic sediments of a degraded tropical stream. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 190, 110153.
• Ali, M. M., Ali, M. L., Rakib, M. R. J., Islam, M. S., Habib, A., Hossen, S., ... and Phoungthong, K. 2022, Contamination and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in water and sediment from hubs of fish resource river in a developing country. Toxin Reviews, 41(4), 1253-1268.
• Alidadi, H., Tavakoly Sany, S. B., Zarif Garaati Oftadeh, B., Mohamad, T., Shamszade, H., and Fakhari, M. 2019, Health risk assessments of arsenic and toxic heavy metal exposure in drinking water in northeast Iran. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 24, 1-17.
• Arfaeinia, H., Dobaradaran, S., Moradi, M., Pasalari, H., Mehrizi, E. A., Taghizadeh, F., ... and Ansarizadeh, M. 2019, The effect of land use configurations on concentration, spatial distribution, and ecological risk of heavy metals in coastal sediments of northern part along the Persian Gulf. Science of the Total Environment, 653, 783-791.
• Belabed, B. E., Meddour, A., Samraoui, B., and Chenchouni, H. 2017, Modelling seasonal and spatial contamination of surface waters and upper sediments with trace metal elements across industrialized urban areas of the Seybouse watershed in North Africa. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 189, 1-19.
• Birch, G. F. 2017, Determination of sediment metal background concentrations and enrichment in marine environments–a critical review. Science of the total environment, 580, 813-831.
• Bodrud-Doza, M., Islam, S. D. U., Rume, T., Quraishi, S. B., Rahman, M. S., and Bhuiyan, M. A. H. 2020, Groundwater quality and human health risk assessment for safe and sustainable water supply of Dhaka City dwellers in Bangladesh. Groundwater for sustainable development, 10, 100374.
• Cantonati, M., Poikane, S., Pringle, C. M., Stevens, L. E., Turak, E., Heino, J., ... and Znachor, P. 2020, Characteristics, main impacts, and stewardship of natural and artificial freshwater environments: consequences for biodiversity conservation. Water, 12(1), 260.
• Castro-Castellon, A. T., Horton, A. A., Hughes, J. M., Rampley, C., Jeffers, E. S., Bussi, G., and Whitehead, P. 2022, Ecotoxicity of microplastics to freshwater biota: Considering exposure and hazard across trophic levels. Science of the Total Environment, 816, 151638.
• Chris, D. I., Wokeh, O. K., Lananan, F., and Azra, M. N. 2023, Assessment of Temporal Variation of Water Quality Parameters and Ecotoxic Trace Metals in Southern Nigeria Coastal Water. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 32(5).
• Chu, W. L., Dang, N. L., Kok, Y. Y., Yap, K. S. I., Phang, S. M., and Convey, P. 2019, Heavy metal pollution in Antarctica and its potential impacts on algae. Polar Science, 20, 75-83.
• Coffin, J. L., Kelley, J. L., Jeyasingh, P. D., and Tobler, M. 2022, Impacts of heavy metal pollution on the ionomes and transcriptomes of Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). Molecular ecology, 31(5), 1527-1542.
• Cui, L., Ge, J., Zhu, Y., Yang, Y., and Wang, J. (2015). Concentrations, bioaccumulation, and human health risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals in edible fish from Wuhan, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22, 15866-15879.
• Davies I C. and Ekperusi A. O. 2021, Evaluation of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Water, Sediment and Fishes of New Calabar River in Southern Nigeria. Journal of Limnology and Freshwater Fisheries Research 7(3): 207-218. https://doi.org/10.17216/LimnoFish.816030
• Davies I. C., and Anyanwu, E., D. 2023, Assessment of Some Heavy Metal Content in Sediments of a Mangrove Swamp, Niger Delta, Nigeria Using Applicable Ecological Risk Indices. Acta Aquatica: Aquatic Sciences Journal, 10:3: 260-268. https://doi.org/10.29103/aa.v10i3.11430
• Delany-Crowe, T., Marinova, D., Fisher, M., McGreevy, M., and Baum, F. 2019, Australian policies on water management and climate change: are they supporting the sustainable development goals and improved health and well-being. Globalization and health, 15, 1-15.
• Dong, W., Zhang, Y., and Quan, X. 2020, Health risk assessment of heavy metals and pesticides: A case study in the main drinking water source in Dalian, China. Chemosphere, 242, 125113.
• Edokpayi, J. N., Odiyo, J. O., and Durowoju, O. S. 2017, Impact of wastewater on surface water quality in developing countries: a case study of South Africa. Water quality, 10(66561), 10-5772.
• Enuneku, A., Omoruyi, O., Tongo, I., Ogbomida, E., Ogbeide, O., and Ezemonye, L. 2018, Evaluating the potential health risks of heavy metal pollution in sediment and selected benthic fauna of Benin River, Southern Nigeria. Applied water science, 8, 1-13.
• Ezemonye, L. I., Adebayo, P. O., Enuneku, A. A., Tongo, I., and Ogbomida, E. 2019, Potential health risk consequences of heavy metal concentrations in surface water, shrimp (Macrobrachium macrobrachion) and fish (Brycinus longipinnis) from Benin River, Nigeria. Toxicology reports, 6, 1-9.
• Hojjati-Najafabadi, A., Mansoorianfar, M., Liang, T., Shahin, K., and Karimi-Maleh, H. 2022, A review on magnetic sensors for monitoring of hazardous pollutants in water resources. Science of The Total Environment, 824, 153844.
• Hoque, M. S., Tamanna, F., Hasan, M. M., Al Banna, M. H., Mondal, P., Prodhan, M. D. H., ... and van Brakel, M. L. 2022, Probabilistic public health risks associated with pesticides and heavy metal exposure through consumption of common dried fish in coastal regions of Bangladesh. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 1-16.
• Hossain, M., and Patra, P. K. 2020, Water pollution index–A new integrated approach to rank water quality. Ecological Indicators, 117, 106668.
• Hyde, K. 2022, Essays on the Environmental and Behavioral Determinants of Health Outcomes (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh).
• Ilyas, M., Ahmad, W., Khan, H., Yousaf, S., Yasir, M., and Khan, A. 2019, Environmental and health impacts of industrial wastewater effluents in Pakistan: a review. Reviews on environmental health, 34(2), 171-186.
• ISIAQ, A. A., and LAWAL, D. O. 2023, Environmental Challenges of the Niger Delta: Strategic Recommendations for Reducing Acts of Sabotage and Vandalism. Baze University Journal of Entrepreneurship and Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(1).
• Izegaegbe, J. I., Vivier, L., and Mzimela, H. M. 2020, Trace metal contamination in sediment in the Mhlathuze Estuary, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: effects on the macrobenthic community. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 192(6), 401.
• Jin, T., Tang, J., Lyu, H., Wang, L., Gillmore, A. B., and Schaeffer, S. M. 2022, Activities of microplastics (MPs) in agricultural soil: a review of MPs pollution from the perspective of agricultural ecosystems. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(14), 4182-4201.
• Jomova, K., Makova, M., Alomar, S. Y., Alwasel, S. H., Nepovimova, E., Kuca, K., ... and Valko, M. 2022, Essential metals in health and disease. Chemico-biological interactions, 110173.
• Kavehei, A., Gore, D. B., Chariton, A. A., and Hose, G. C. 2021, Impact assessment of ephemeral discharge of contamination downstream of two legacy base metal mines using environmental DNA. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 419, 126483.
• Keeler, B. L., Polasky, S., Brauman, K. A., Johnson, K. A., Finlay, J. C., O’Neill, A., ... and Dalzell, B. 2012, Linking water quality and well-being for improved assessment and valuation of ecosystem services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(45), 18619-18624.
• Khallaf, E. A., Authman, M. M., and Alne-Na-Ei, A. A. 2018, Contamination and ecological hazard assessment of heavy metals in freshwater sediments and Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) fish muscles in a Nile River Canal in Egypt. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(14), 13796-13812.
• Khan, U., Janjuhah, H. T., Kontakiotis, G., Rehman, A., and Zarkogiannis, S. D. 2021, Natural processes and anthropogenic activity in the Indus River sedimentary environment in Pakistan: A critical review. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 9(10), 1109.
• Li, Y., Miao, Y., Zhang, W., Yang, N., Niu, L., Zhang, H., and Wang, L. 2020, Sertraline inhibits top-down forces (predation) in microbial food web and promotes nitrification in sediment. Environmental Pollution, 267, 115580.
• Lin, M. H., Li, C. Y., Cheng, Y. Y., and Guo, H. R. 2022, Arsenic in drinking water and incidences of leukemia and Lymphoma: implication for its dural effects in carcinogenicity. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 863882.
• Liu, X., Gu, S., Yang, S., Deng, J., and Xu, J. 2021, Heavy metals in soil-vegetable system around E-waste site and the health risk assessment. Science of The Total Environment, 779, 146438.
• Lourino-Cabana, B., Lesven, L., Billon, G., Denis, L., Ouddane, B., and Boughriet, A. 2012, Benthic exchange of sedimentary metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn) in the Deûle River (Northern France). Environmental Chemistry, 9(5), 485-494.
• Ma, H., Pu, S., Liu, S., Bai, Y., Mandal, S., and Xing, B. 2020, Microplastics in aquatic environments: Toxicity to trigger ecological consequences. Environmental Pollution, 261, 114089.
• Naja, G. M., and Volesky, B. 2017, Toxicity and sources of Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr, As, and radionuclides in the environment. In Handbook of advanced industrial and hazardous wastes management (pp. 855-903). Crc Press.
• Nasiruddin, M., Islam, A. R. M. T., Siddique, M. A. B., Hasanuzaman, M., Hassan, M. M., Akbor, M. A., ... and Kumar, S. 2023, Distribution, sources, and pollution levels of toxic metal (loid) s in an urban river (Ichamati), Bangladesh using SOM and PMF modeling with GIS tool. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(8), 20934-20958.
• Nsenga Kumwimba, M., Zhu, B., Wang, T., and Muyembe, D. K. 2016, Distribution and risk assessment of metals and arsenic contamination in man-made ditch sediments with different land use types. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23, 24808-24823.
• Ogbuefi M. U., Best O. and Davies I. C. 2023, Assessing the Health Risks of Emerging Trace Elements in Fish, Bobo Croaker (Pseudotolithus elongatus) from Buguma Creek, Southern Nigeria. Asian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Research. 25(5), 82–94. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajfar/2023/v25i5702
• Okereafor, U., Makhatha, M., Mekuto, L., Uche-Okereafor, N., Sebola, T., and Mavumengwana, V. 2020, Toxic metal implications on agricultural soils, plants, animals, aquatic life and human health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(7), 2204.
• Okotie, S., Ogbarode, N. O., and Ikporo, B. 2018, The oil and gas industry and the Nigerian environment. In The political ecology of oil and gas activities in the Nigerian aquatic ecosystem (pp. 47-69). Academic Press.
• Onyena, A. P., and Sam, K. 2020, A review of the threat of oil exploitation to mangrove ecosystem: Insights from Niger Delta, Nigeria. Global ecology and conservation, 22, e00961.
• Palpandi, C., and Kesavan, K. 2012, Heavy metal monitoring using Nerita crepidularia-mangrove mollusc from the Vellar estuary, Southeast coast of India. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2(1), S358-S367.
• Redwan, M., and Elhaddad, E. 2022, Heavy metal pollution in Manzala Lake sediments, Egypt: sources, variability, and assessment. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194(6), 436.
• Rehman, K., Fatima, F., Waheed, I., and Akash, M. S. H. 2018, Prevalence of exposure of heavy metals and their impact on health consequences. Journal of cellular biochemistry, 119(1), 157-184.
• Richir, J., and Gobert, S. 2016, Trace elements in marine environments: occurrence, threats and monitoring with special focus on the Costal Mediterranean. Journal of environmental and analytical toxicology, 6(1).
• Rodgers, K., McLellan, I., Peshkur, T., Williams, R., Tonner, R., Knapp, C. W., ... and Hursthouse, A. S. 2020, The legacy of industrial pollution in estuarine sediments: spatial and temporal variability implications for ecosystem stress. Environmental geochemistry and health, 42, 1057-1068.
• Sang, Z., Jiang, Y., Tsoi, Y. K., and Leung, K. S. Y. 2014, Evaluating the environmental impact of artificial sweeteners: a study of their distributions, photodegradation and toxicities. Water Research, 52, 260-274.
• Sankhla, M. S., Kumari, M., Nandan, M., Kumar, R., and Agrawal, P. 2016, Heavy metals contamination in water and their hazardous effect on human health-a review. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci (2016), 5(10), 759-766.
• Sivalingam, P., Al Salah, D. M. M., and Poté, J. 2021, Sediment heavy metal contents, ostracod toxicity and risk assessment in tropical freshwater lakes, Tamil Nadu, India. Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, 30(2), 231-252.
• Sonone, S. S., Jadhav, S., Sankhla, M. S., and Kumar, R. 2020, Water contamination by heavy metals and their toxic effect on aquaculture and human health through food Chain. Lett. Appl. NanoBioScience, 10(2), 2148-2166.
• Stankovic, S., Jovic, M., Stankovic, A. R., and Katsikas, L. 2012, Heavy metals in seafood mussels. Risks for human health. Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World: Volume 1: Nanotechnology and Health Risk, 311-373.
• Udofia, U. S., Ameh, C., Miller, E., and Ekpenyong, M. S. 2021, Investigating the origin and tissue concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in seafood and health risk in Niger Delta, Nigeria. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, 23(11), 1803-1814.
• Ustaoğlu, F., and Islam, M. S. 2020, Potential toxic elements in sediment of some rivers at Giresun, Northeast Turkey: A preliminary assessment for ecotoxicological status and health risk. Ecological indicators, 113, 106237.
• Wang, Q., Cai, J., Gao, F., Li, Z., and Zhang, M. 2023, Pollution Level, Ecological Risk Assessment and Vertical Distribution Pattern Analysis of Heavy Metals in the Tailings Dam of an Abandon Lead–Zinc Mine. Sustainability, 15(15), 11987.
• Zafarzadeh, A., Bay, A., Fakhri, Y., Keramati, H., and Hosseini Pouya, R. 2018, Heavy metal (Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd) concentrations in the water and muscle of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fish and associated non-carcinogenic risk assessment: Alagol wetland in the Golestan, Iran. Toxin reviews, 37(2), 154-160.
• Zeng, Y., Bi, C., Jia, J., Deng, L., and Chen, Z. 2020, Impact of intensive land use on heavy metal concentrations and ecological risks in an urbanized river network of Shanghai. Ecological Indicators, 116, 106501.