Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in water, sediment, and tissues of major fisheries from Adyar estuary, southeast coast of India: An ecotoxicological impact of a metropolitan city

Heavy metal content in water, sediment, and tissues of six commonly used edible fishes from Adyar estuary, southeast coast of India, was assessed for metal bioaccumulation. The enrichment of metals in estuarine sediment is due to the discharge of contaminated water from the Chennai Metropolis. The enrichment factor indicated that metals such as Cr (EF=30.9) and Cu (EF-31.9) are highly enriched and fall under the very severe category. Bioaccumulation factor (BAF) revealed that the concentration of heavy metals viz. Ni, Cr, Pb, Cu, Co, Zn, Fe, and Mn in different tissues of fishes was several times higher than their concentrations in water. Moreover, high concentration of heavy metals, especially Cu and Cr was noticed in the muscle and liver tissues of the fishes which are higher than the WHO standards. Among the studied fishes, Arius parkii and Gerres oyena showed higher levels of bioaccumulation in terms of toxic metals.

Automated summary

The study found heavy metal bioaccumulation in water, sediment, and tissues of commonly consumed fishes in the Adyar estuary due to contaminated water discharge from Chennai Metropolis. Metals like Cr and Cu were highly enriched, exceeding the WHO standards, with significant accumulation in fish tissues compared to water concentrations. Arius parkii and Gerres oyena showed higher levels of toxic metal bioaccumulation among the studied fishes.