Comprehensive environmental assessment of heavy metal contamination of surface water, sediments and Nile Tilapia in Lake Nasser, Egypt

Heavy metals cause deleterious effects on human health and drastically alter the biogeochemical cycles within freshwater habitats. The main human activities leading to heavy metal contamination of various aquatic ecosystems comprise the industry, agriculture, urbanization, transport and mining. Lake Nasser is the main freshwater source in Egypt, usually polluted from upstream human activities from the hydrographic basin of the River Nile. The current study surveyed the impact of heavy metals contamination (i.e., Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu) in water, sediment and two Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish organs (liver and muscles) at six sampling sites along Lake Nasser. Additionally, the effects of heavy metals bioaccumulation in the aquatic ecosystem, via water, sediments and fish organs were investigated. The conclusion is that the water of Lake Nasser is safe for use in terms of human consumption, agricultural utilization and public sanitation. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Heavy metals have negative effects on human health and biogeochemical cycles in freshwater habitats. Lake Nasser, the main freshwater source in Egypt, is often polluted by human activities upstream in the River Nile basin. The study concludes that the water of Lake Nasser is safe for human consumption, agricultural use, and public sanitation.