Naz Saima, Ullah Qudrat, Fouad Dalia, Qadeer Abdul, Lateef Maria, Hassan Muhammad Waqar, Chatha Ahmad Manan Mustafa
Department of Zoology, Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 24;20(1):e0310744. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310744. eCollection 2025.
Aquatic toxicology, as a result of industrial and agrieqcultural effluences, has become a global concern impacting not only the well-being of aquatic organisms but human health as well. The current study evaluated the impact of four toxic trace elements (TTEs) Cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) in three organs (liver, gills, and muscles) of five fish species viz, Rita rita, Sperata sarwari, Wallago attu, Mastacembelus armatus, and Cirrhinus mrigala collected from right and left banks of Punjnad headworks during winter, spring, and summer. We investigated the accumulation (mg/kg) of these TTEs in fish in addition to the human health risk assessment. The obtained results showed that W. attu accumulated significantly more TTEs (p < 0.00) as compared to other fish. Among seasons, summer had significantly more (p < 0.00) accumulation of TTEs than other seasons. Lead (Pb) accumulation was highest across TTEs in fish liver as compared to gills and muscles. The right bank showed higher accumulation (p < 0.00) of all TTEs in all fish species compared to the left bank. The human health risk assessment showed that Cd and Pb had higher exposure levels than Cu and Ni. Furthermore, the THQ was in the order of Cd > Pb > Ni > Cu. All fish species had THQ 1 for Cd and Pb and TTHQ > 1 for all fish. MPI index showed moderate to high levels of TTE contamination in all fish species. The study concluded that the right bank has higher metal accumulation than the left bank. However, fish consumption from both study sites was unsafe for human consumption. Further studies are required to evaluate the contamination of other trace elements in the aquatic ecosystem of the current site. This study will be useful for policymakers and the water department to take necessary counteractions to reduce the impact of TTEs at the study site.
由于工农业废水排放，水生毒理学已成为一个全球关注的问题，不仅影响水生生物的健康，也影响人类健康。本研究评估了镉（Cd）、铜（Cu）、铅（Pb）和镍（Ni）这四种有毒微量元素对五种鱼类（丽塔丽塔鱼、萨氏鲶鱼、长丝鲶、斑纹刺鳅和印度鲮）三个器官（肝脏、鳃和肌肉）的影响，这些鱼是在冬季、春季和夏季从旁遮普纳德渠首左右两岸采集的。除了人类健康风险评估外，我们还研究了这些有毒微量元素在鱼体内的积累量（毫克/千克）。所得结果表明，与其他鱼类相比，长丝鲶积累的有毒微量元素显著更多（p < 0.00）。在各个季节中，夏季积累的有毒微量元素显著多于其他季节（p < 0.00）。与鳃和肌肉相比，鱼肝中铅（Pb）的积累量在所有有毒微量元素中最高。与左岸相比，右岸所有鱼类体内所有有毒微量元素的积累量都更高（p < 0.00）。人类健康风险评估表明，镉和铅的暴露水平高于铜和镍。此外，危害商数的顺序为镉>铅>镍>铜。所有鱼类的镉和铅危害商数均大于1，所有鱼类的总危害商数均大于1。多介质污染指数表明所有鱼类体内有毒微量元素的污染程度为中度到高度。研究得出结论，右岸的金属积累量高于左岸。然而，两个研究地点的鱼都不适合人类食用。需要进一步研究来评估当前地点水生生态系统中其他微量元素的污染情况。这项研究将有助于政策制定者和水务部门采取必要的应对措施，以减少研究地点有毒微量元素的影响。
