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Metal Speciation in Sediment and Their Bioaccumulation in Fish Species of Three Urban Rivers in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Six trace metals (chromium [Cr], nickel [Ni], copper [Cu], arsenic [As], cadmium [Cd] and lead [Pb]) were measured in sediments and soft tissues of three commonly consumed fish species (Channa punctatus, Heteropneustes fossilis, and Trichogaster fasciata) collected from three urban rivers around Dhaka City, Bangladesh. The abundance of total metals in sediments varied in the decreasing order of Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > As > Cd. Sequential extraction tests showed that the studied metals were predominantly associated with the residual fraction followed by the organically bound phase. The range of metal concentration in fish species were as follows: Cr (0.75–4.8), Ni (0.14–3.1), Cu (1.1–7.2), As (0.091–0.53), Cd (0.008–0.13), and Pb (0.052–2.7 mg/kg wet weight [ww]). The rank of biota-sediment accumulation factor for fish species were in the descending order of Cu > As > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cd. Metal concentrations in fish exceeded the international permissible standards suggesting that these species are not safe for human consumption.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for financial support from the Leadership Program in Sustainable Living with Environmental Risk (SLER) at Yokohama National University under the aid of Strategic Funds for the Promotion of Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and also for Research Collaboration Promotion Fund provided by the Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Japan. Furthermore, we are thankful for the kind help from the members of Dhaka University, Bangladesh, during field sampling.

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Correspondence to Md Saiful Islam.

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Islam, M.S., Ahmed, M.K., Raknuzzaman, M. et al. Metal Speciation in Sediment and Their Bioaccumulation in Fish Species of Three Urban Rivers in Bangladesh. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 68, 92–106 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0079-6

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