Bioaccumulation of heavy metals and health risk assessment in three benthic bivalves along the coast of Laizhou Bay, China.
This study investigated the tissue- and species-specific bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Hg, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) in three benthic bivalves (the ark shell, Scapharca subcrenata; the surf clam, Mactra veneriformis; and the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum) collected from the coast of Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea. The results demonstrated that the visceral masses of the bivalves tended to accumulate heavy metals more efficiently than their muscles. The capacities of the bivalves to bioaccumulate metals followed a similar order: Cd>Hg>Zn=As>Cu>Cr=Pb. The conditions of metal contamination in the bivalves tended to be worse along the eastern coast than in other regions. Overall, the Manila clam was more severely contaminated by heavy metals than the surf clam and ark shell. Judging by the hazard quotients (HQ) of the metals in the muscles of the bivalves, the greatest hazard risk to human health comes primarily from As.
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
Jinhu
J
Liu
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
Liang
L
Cao
Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China. Electronic address: szdou@qdio.ac.cn.
Shuozeng
S
Dou
D000818:Animals; D061006:Bays; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000378:metabolism*; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014876:Water Pollution
D019216:Metals, Heavy
Aquatic contamination; Bivalves; Health risks; Heavy metals; Laizhou Bay