Assessment of Heavy metals in Water, Sediment and Fishes of the Baleh River, Sarawak, Malaysia
Pollution of heavy metals in aquatic environment is a subject of concern as rivers play an important role to the local inhabitants for various daily activities. The objective of the study is to determine the distribution and contamination status of heavy metals (Al, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, Fe, As, Se...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/23841/1/Chai%20Hui%20Ping%20ft.pdf |
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| Summary: | Pollution of heavy metals in aquatic environment is a subject of concern as rivers play an
important role to the local inhabitants for various daily activities. The objective of the study is
to determine the distribution and contamination status of heavy metals (Al, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni,
Zn, Fe, As, Se, Hg) in water, sediment and fishes of the Baleh River. Water and sediment
samples were collected from 50 stations and 22 fish species were caught for metal analysis.
For water, acid extractable metals were determined and only Al was found higher than the
drinking water guideline due to enhanced surface runoff. Dissolved and total metal contents in
10 stations were compared with the acid extractable metals. The concentration of total metals
were significantly higher than the dissolved and acid-extractable metals. The contamination
status of sediment was evaluated using the geochemical indices with the baseline
concentrations determined based on the cumulative distribution curves. The assessment
suggested low contamination risk in sediment. For fishes, metals tend to be accumulated in
gills, except Hg which was found higher in muscle. The metal concentration in muscle was
compared against Malaysia Food Act; Al was detected at a concentration exceeding the
permissible level for most species possibly due to the elevated Al concentration in water. Hg
was found in higher concentrations in carnivorous and bottom feeders due to their feeding
habits. The hazard index calculated was greater than 1 for some species suggesting possible
adverse health effects where the consumption limits was between 143.54 g and 716.80 g per
week. Overall, the study concluded low contamination risk in water and sediment of the
Baleh River, with fish species demonstrating potential Al and Hg accumulation where
continuous monitoring is recommended. |
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