Heavy metal contamination in a transboundary river: ecological and human health risk assessment

• DOI: 10.1080/03067319.2024.2445751
• Publication Date: 2025-01-03T05:07:11Z
• Authors: Zannatun Tazri; Sadman Sakib; Rupesh Das; Md. Hasan Faruque; Anwar Hossain; Mohammad Mozammal...; Shamshad B. Quraishi; Md. Habibullah-Al...

Rivers, often the primary recipients of untreated domestic and industrial effluents, have increasingly become reservoirs of potent toxins, particularly heavy metals, raising serious concerns for the health of both human and aquatic life. This study investigates the ecological and human health risks associated with heavy metal accumulation in sediments and fish from the Padma River, a major river system in Bangladesh. Using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AA-7000 series), we analysed the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) across six major urban areas, revealing significant variability in metal accumulation among different stations. The highest levels of heavy metal accumulation were observed in the Chandpur and Pabna districts, with notably elevated concentrations of Cr, Cu, Hg, and Pb in both sediment and fish samples. Ecological risk assessments indicated ’heavy contamination’ of Cr in sediments, highlighting the deficiencies in waste management systems in Bangladesh. Omnivorous and piscivorous species such as M. corsula, X. cancila, and M. armatus from the Chapainawabganj, Pabna, and Chandpur districts exhibited higher metal concentrations compared to other species. Health risk indices such as THQ and HI suggest a significant non-carcinogenic risk of Hg in Chapainawabganj and Chandpur. Additionally, a severe long-term cancer risk from dietary Cr exposure (TR: M. corsula = 4.26 × 10−2) can be experienced by the regular consumers of contaminated fish from the Padma River.