Assessing pathways of heavy metal accumulation in aquaculture shrimp and their introductions into the pond environment based on a dynamic model and mass balance principle

Qian Wang; Yaxiong Tian; Jian Wang; Juan-Ying Li; Wenhui He; Nicholas J Craig

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163164

Assessing pathways of heavy metal accumulation in aquaculture shrimp and their introductions into the pond environment based on a dynamic model and mass balance principle

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 10:881:163164. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163164. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

Authors

Qian Wang¹, Yaxiong Tian¹, Jian Wang², Juan-Ying Li³, Wenhui He⁴, Nicholas J Craig⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Pudong, Shanghai, China.
² Shanghai Radio Equipment Research Institute, Yangpu, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Shentian Industrial Co., Ltd., Yangpu, Shanghai, China.
³ College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Pudong, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of River and Lake Biochain Construction and Resource Utilization, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: jyli@shou.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Pudong, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of River and Lake Biochain Construction and Resource Utilization, Shanghai, China.
⁵ School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 37003319
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163164

Abstract

The impact of heavy metals (HMs) on the quality of aquaculture products has attracted worldwide attention. Since Litopenaeus vannamei is a popular aquaculture product among consumers worldwide, it is of great importance to guarantee its dietary safety. An in-situ monitoring program lasting for three months in a typical Litopenaeus vannamei farm found that Pb (100 %) and Cr (86 %) in the adult shrimp were higher than the safety guidelines. In the meantime, Cu (100 %), Cd (100 %) in the water and Cr (40 %) in the feed exceeded the corresponding thresholds. Therefore, quantification of different exposure pathways of shrimp and contamination origins in pond is valuable to improve the dietary safety of the shrimp. Based on Optimal Modeling for Ecotoxicological Applications (OMEGA), Cu was primarily from the ingestion of feed, accounting for 67 % of bioaccumulation, while Cd, Pb and Cr primarily entered shrimp through the adsorption from overlying water (53 % for Cd and 78 % for Pb) and porewater (66 % for Cr), respectively. The HMs in the pond water were further tracked based on a mass balance analysis. The main source of Cu in the aquaculture environment was feed, being responsible for 37 % of the total input. Pb, Cd and Cr were primarily from the inlet water with contributions of 84 %, 54 % and 52 %, respectively. In summary, the proportions of different exposure pathways and origins of HMs in pond-cultured shrimp and its living environment varied widely. To keep end-consumers eating healthily, species specific treatment is required. Feed should be regulated more for Cu. Aimed pretreatments for Pb and Cd in influent water are needed and an additional immobilization for Cr in sediment porewater should be investigated. After implementation of these treatments, the food quality improvement could be further quantified based on our prediction model.

Keywords: Aquaculture; Exposure pathways; Heavy metals; Shrimp; Source diagnosis.

MeSH terms

Aquaculture
Cadmium
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Lead
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Ponds
Risk Assessment
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Cadmium
Lead
Metals, Heavy
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical