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Metal Contamination of Oman Sea Seaweed and Its Associated Public Health Risks

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Abstract

Oman Sea region is a major gateway for international and local shipping. Metal pollution of aquatic environment is primarily caused by such shipping and industrial activities. Agricultural runoffs are also of concern. Seaweed contamination with heavy metals in this area is therefore a distinct possibility. We examined seaweed of Oman Sea for heavy metal content and potential risk of its consumption to the public. During winter of 2019, water, sediment, and seaweed were collected along twelve stations on the coast of Oman Sea. Triplicates of each sample were analyzed for metal content by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Biomarkers of metals in seaweed (metallothionein and phytochelatin) were also analyzed. A significant positive correlation exists among levels of Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Fe in water, sediment, and seaweed (P < 0.05). Cadmium correlations were weak. The highest levels of metallothionein and phytochelatin were found in brown and red seaweed (118.6 µg/g wet weight, 16.4 amol/cell; 111.4 µg/g ww, 12.1 amol/cell), respectively. For nickel and lead, human consumption of red, brown, and green seaweed was associated with “some health hazard,” with a target hazard quotient of > 1. We conclude that concerns over heavy metal contamination of some parts of Oman Sea are valid, and we invite policy makers to implement measures for protection of public and environment from metal toxic effects in the region.

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Funding

This work was sponsored by the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Birjand (Iran), and was derived from a PhD thesis (ID Number: 22575/1398). We thank the University and its faculty for their support of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

    Elham Shahri, Mohammad Hossein Sayadi & Elham Yousefi

  2. Ann Arbor, USA

    Mozhgan Savabieasfehani

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  1. Elham Shahri
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  2. Mohammad Hossein Sayadi
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  3. Elham Yousefi
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  4. Mozhgan Savabieasfehani
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Contributions

Elham Shahri: Conceptualization, data curation, methodology, validation, formal analysis, writing—original draft. Mohammad Hossein Sayadi: Supervision, conceptualization, methodology, data curation, writing—review and editing, visualization. Elham Yousefi: Writing—review and editing, software, validation. Mozhgan Savabieasfehani: Methodology, validation, visualization, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Mohammad Hossein Sayadi.

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Shahri, E., Sayadi, M.H., Yousefi, E. et al. Metal Contamination of Oman Sea Seaweed and Its Associated Public Health Risks. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 2989–2998 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02865-1

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