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Investigation of trace metals in riverine waterways of Bangladesh using multivariate analyses: spatial toxicity variation and potential health risk assessment

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Abstract

Minute quantities of trace metals have delirious effects in the human body causing acute and chronic toxicities. These trace metals have the ability to bind with enzymes and proteins causing an alteration in their activity, and, consequently, their damage. In this study, water samples were collected from five sites in Rupsa River (Bangladesh) during dry and wet seasons aiming to assess the trace metal concentration and the correlated health risk for people living in the area. Six trace metals, namely arsenic (Ar), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni), were measured for further analyzing their spatial and seasonal variations. The measured trace metal concentrations followed this decreasing order: Cr > Pb > As > Cu > Ni > Cd for the dry season, and Cr > Pb > As > Cu > Ni > Cd for the wet season. Among the trace metals, As, Ni, Cr, and Pb exhibited a statistically significative variation throughout the study period. The PCA analysis accounted for 64.5% and 64.4% total variations of the trace metals in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The Euclidean distance of trace metals in water samples across five sites showed significantly different distribution patterns, which were further confirmed by PERMANOVA. Furthermore, CAP model disclosed that trace metals are source-specific: brickfields and sewage effluents were potential sources for Cd, whereas different industries were potential sources for As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb. Correlation analysis showed that Ni and Cr significantly correlated with pH and electrical conductivity. Correlation among the trace metals unveiled that they depended on each other as for their origin, magnitude, and existence in the riverine waterways. As for the health risk assessment, a non-carcinogenic health hazard due to ingestion during regular activities and dermal contact during fishing activity to all kind of people (adult males, adult females, and children) in the studied area was retrieved based on the hazard index (HI) of trace metals, which was higher than the recommended value (HI > 1). Moreover, also the carcinogenic risks of Ni and As due to regular activities via ingestion and dermal contact pathways were higher than the standard value (CR > 1.0E−04), suggesting the occurrence of cancer risk to humans in the study area.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all of the research collaborators for their valuable suggestions and help in sample collection.

Funding

This work was supported by “CAS-TWAS President Fellowship Program” (2019A8006338002; 2019A8018137001), The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the People Republic of China.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Ram Proshad

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Ram Proshad, Mamun Abdullah Al & Sujan Khadka

  3. Faculty of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, Chittagong, 4331, Bangladesh

    Mamun Abdullah Al

  4. Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Md. Saiful Islam

  5. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Sujan Khadka

  6. Department of Emergency Management, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Dumki, Bangladesh

    Tapos Kormoker

  7. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Minhaz Uddin

  8. Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 4/6, 56126 Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Letizia Modeo

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  1. Ram Proshad
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Contributions

MAA: conceived the idea and methodology and designed the experiment. RP and MAA: analyzed data and wrote the first draft. RP, MSI, TK, and MMU: collected data and processed samples and laboratory analyses. MAA and SK: data checking and validation. LM: research collaboration and English language correction. All authors have checked the final version of the manuscript and finally agreed to its submission. All persons listed as authors have read, contributed to preparing the manuscript, attested to the validity and legitimacy of the data and its interpretation, and agreed to its submission.

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Correspondence to Mamun Abdullah Al.

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Proshad, R., Abdullah Al, M., Islam, M.S. et al. Investigation of trace metals in riverine waterways of Bangladesh using multivariate analyses: spatial toxicity variation and potential health risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 31872–31884 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13077-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13077-4

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