Islam Abu Reza Md Towfiqul, Uddin Md Nashir, Joy Md Fazle Rabbi, Proshad Ram, Kormoker Tapos, Anik Amit Hasan, Rahman M Safiur, Siddique Md Abu Bakar, Alshehri Mohammed Ali
Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur 5400, Bangladesh; Department of Development Studies, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh; Department of Earth and Environmental Science, College of Science, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
Department of Civil Engineering, Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 Feb;211:117354. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117354. Epub 2024 Dec 2.
The current study focused on thirty-nine locations in the four islands (i.e., St. Martin, Moheskhali, Kutubdia, and Sonadia) and beach (Innani Beach) along the northeast Bay of Bengal to quantify sources-orientated ecological risks of metal(loid)s. The mean concentrations of As, Mn, Cr, Cd, and Pb are 4.8, 8.7, 1.6, 1.1, and 2 times higher than average shale volume (ASV) values. Key findings revealed that Mn, Cr, Cd, Pb, and As exceed safe levels, particularly on St. Martin and Moheshkhali islands, where tourism and coal mining intensify contamination. Ecological indexes showed moderate to considerable contamination levels, suggesting diverse impacts on aquatic life. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model-based Nemerow integrated risk index (NIRI) indicated that mixed and coal mining sources posed a moderate risk for 10.26 % and 5.13 % of sediment samples, respectively. This paper serves as a model-based plan for mitigating pollution risks of metal(oid)s in coastal sediments on the northeast coast.
