Sediment-bound hazardous trace metals(oid) in south-eastern drainage system of Bangladesh: First assessment on human health

Fahima Islam; Afroza Parvin; Afsana Parvin; Umme Sarmeen Akhtar; Md Aftab Ali Shaikh; Md Nashir Uddin; Mohammad Moniruzzaman; Badhan Saha; Juliya Khanom; Priyanka Dey Suchi; Md Anwar Hossain; Md Kamal Hossain

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20040

Sediment-bound hazardous trace metals(oid) in south-eastern drainage system of Bangladesh: First assessment on human health

Heliyon. 2023 Sep 12;9(9):e20040. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20040. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ BCSIR Laboratories Dhaka, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, 1205, Bangladesh.
² Institute of Glass and Ceramic Research and Testing (IGCRT), Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, 1205, Bangladesh.
³ Department of Chemistry, Dhaka University, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
⁴ Planning and Development Division, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, 1205, Bangladesh.
⁵ Central Analytical and Research Facilities (CARF), Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, 1205, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Despite the beneficial aspect of a natural drainage system, increasing human-induced activities, which include urbanization and growth in industrialization, degrade the ecosystem in terms of trace metal contamination. In response, given the great importance of the south-eastern drainage system in Bangladesh, a detailed evaluation of the human health risk as well as the potential ecological risk of trace metals (Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn, and As) in Karnaphuli riverbed sediment was conducted. Mean levels of the elements in mg/kg were As (5.62 ± 1.47); Se (0.84 ± 0.61); Hg (0.37 ± 0.23); Be (1.17 ± 0.49); Pb (15.62 ± 8.42); Cd (0.24 ± 0.33); Co (11.59 ± 4.49); Cr (112.75 ± 40.09); Cu (192.67 ± 49.71); V (27.49 ± 10.95); Zn (366.83 ± 62.82); Ni (75.83 ± 25.87). Pollution indicators, specifically contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), degree of contamination (C_d), enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and potential ecological risk index (RI), were computed to assess sediment quality. For the first observation of health risk, chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), carcinogenic risk (CR) and total carcinogenic risk (TCR) indices were calculated. According to the results, CDI values through the ingestion route of both the adult and child groups were organized in the following descending mode respectively: Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > V > Pb > Co > As > Se > Be > Cd > Hg. The non-carcinogenic risks were generally low for all routes of exposure, except HQ_ingestion was slightly higher for both adults and children. The calculated hazard index (HI) was, nevertheless, within the permitted range (HI < 1). Similarly, none of the metals exhibited any carcinogenic risks, as all CR values were within the 10^-4-10^-6 range. The need for authoritative efforts and water policy for the sake of the surrounding ecosystem and human health in the vicinity of the examined watershed is strongly felt as an outcome of this study. The purpose of this study is to protect public health by identifying trace metal sources and reducing industrial and domestic discharge into this natural drainage system.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Carcinogenic risk; Ecological risk; Human health risk; Non-carcinogenic risk; Sediment; Trace metals.