Lead Contamination Status in Abiotic Components and Human Hair Around Bidhyadhari Estuary of Indian Sundarban Delta
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Explor AnimExploratory Med Res, Animal and Medical Research,ISSN Vol.6, 2277- Issue 470X 2, (Print), December, ISSN 2319-247X 2016 (Online) Vol.6, Issue - 2, 2016, p. 150-158 Website: www.animalmedicalresearch.org Research Article LEAD CONTAMINATION STATUS IN ABIOTIC COMPONENTS AND HUMAN HAIR AROUND BIDHYADHARI ESTUARY OF INDIAN SUNDARBAN DELTA Shivaji Bhattacharya1*, Achintya Chattopadhyay1, Anup Kumar Das2, Tapan Kumar Mandal3, Susanta Kumar Bandyopadhyay4 Received 02 May 2016, revised 08 October 2016 ABSTRACT: Lead (Pb) is found to be present in different abiotic components and human hair at all the stations from S1 to S5 around Bidyadhari river and its value ranged from 1.02 - 6.22 µg/gm. Concentration of Pb decreased in stations away from that river and seemed as less contaminated stations. The concentration of Pb is found to be about 25 times and 45 times more than the tolerance limit in surface water and tube well water respectively. Human hairs contained more concentration of Pb than that in water. Average concentration of Pb in human hairs was 2.78 and 3.73 µg/gm in less polluted station (S5) and more polluted stations (S1 to S4) respectively indicating bio- magnification of Pb in man. Tube well water appears to be more polluted than the river water and supposed to be a major threat of Pb pollution in the Bidyadhari estuary, West Bengal, India. Keywords: Lead, Water, Sediment, Human hair, Bidyadhari estuary, Sundarban. INTRODUCTION million people. Open access to natural Indian Sundarban delta (21°40'N - 22°40'N resources play an important role in supporting and 88°03'E - 89°07'E) is the largest mangrove the livelihood of the burgeoning human based wetland in the world, lies on the southern population in the Sundarban delta. Rapid fringes of the state of West Bengal, where the industrialization and urbanization have Gangetic plain meets the Bay of Bengal. This contaminated the riverine and estuarine deltaic lobe is famous for its genetically diverse ecosystem of Sundarban to a great extent (Mitra biotic resources and refuges of more than 4.4 et al. 2010). Bidyadhari river originated near 1Zoological Garden, Alipore, Kolkata-700 027, India. 2Department of Pharmacology, R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata- 700 004, India. 3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, 37 K.B. Sarani, Kolkata- 700 037, India. 4Director, Medical Education, Govt. of West Bengal, India. *Correspondence author. e-mail: [email protected] 150 Lead contamination status in abiotic components and human hair around... Haringhata in Nadia district of West Bengal, 2004). Head hair accumulated metal India and then flows through North 24 Parganas concentration in the order Zn > Mn > Cu > Pb district before confluence with the larger > Cd > Hg. Age and location strongly influenced Raimangal river in the Sundarban (Bhattacharya metal concentration however no significant et al. 2014a). Mushrooming of industries like relationship was found between gender and papers, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, metal concentration in Kenya (Otieno 2011). plastics, shellac, leather, jute, pesticides etc Pb is used in smelting and soldering works, along the banks of Hooghly-Matla-Bidyadhari painting, manufacture of batteries and in estuarine complex served as the predominant automobile fuel and is a neurotoxin. Its source of metal pollution in the Sundarban exposure may lead to inhibition of blood region. synthesis resulting into anaemia, kidney Huge quantity of metropolitan waste along malfunctioning, cerebral oedema, gastro- with agricultural and urban runoff from Kolkata intestinal and respiratory disorders (Mehra and and North 24 Parganas district is carried through Juneja 2004). Metals can enter the human body a discharge canal and emptied into the out fall because of dispersion on the soil, directly on Bidyadhari river. The pollution discharged through inhalation and contact, through is pushed upwards during high tides and drinking of contaminated water and, via remained in the estuary for quite a long time assumption of vegetables themselves with high (Bhattacharya et al. 2014b). metal burden. The exposure to these metals is a Hair analysis allows for an assessment of the continuous daily process, as they can be found contamination of natural environment, which at the place of work, in potable water, in food is particularly important for the research on and in the air (Goyer 1996). Presence of large populations in habitation areas with different amount of heavy metals including Pb in human degrees of pollution (Baran and Wieczorek hair was observed in war torn Gaza strip where 2013). Toxic elements occur naturally in the cast lead were freely used in the arsenals environment and also get accumulated from (Manduca et.al. 2010). Metals can enter an anthropogenic sources. Heavy metals may enter organism via different routes, from the air, human body through food, air, water or water, food or pharmaceuticals applied through absorption through skin. Exposure can be from skin and the respiratory tract. Afterwards, they agricultural, manufacturing, industrial and other are transported and distributed through blood occupational exposures also (Chojnacka et al. into organs (i,e. liver, kidney) and removed from 2012). For several years, human hair has been the organism through the following excretory used to assess human exposure to heavy metals pathways: sweat, hair, urine and faeces (Lee because toxic heavy metals can get accumulated et al. 2000; Apostoli 2002). Renal failure is in hair for a long time. The concentration of related to contaminated drinking water with Pb metals in hair sample is found to be high and cadmium, liver cirrhosis to copper and compared with those in body tissues or fluids molybdenum, hair loss to nickel and chromium, (Pengping and Kungwankunakorn 2014). and chronic anemia to copper and cadmium. There are some significant changes in hair Cd, Studies of these diseases suggest that abnormal Cu, Zn and Pb concentrations, depending on incidence in specific areas is related to industrial the place of residence of the hair donors (Srogi wastes and agriculture activities that have 151 Exploratory Animal and Medical Research, Vol.6, Issue 2, December, 2016 released hazardous and toxic materials in the having more anthropogenic activities and small groundwater and thereby led to the scale industries, more agricultural activities, contamination of drinking water in these areas brackish water fish culture, automobile (Salem et al. 2000). emissions, rechargeable battery production Studies have been reported in relation to units etc. Kanmari (22º 26.46'N, 88º 48.24'E) heavy metal contamination including Pb in lies at a considerable distance from the waste different biotic and abiotic components in outfall point of the river and dominated by huge different regions of Sundarban (Khan 1995; aquaculture activities. In Dhamakhali (22º Guhathakurta and Kaviraj 2000; Kwokal et al. 21.33'N, 88º 52.59'E), lot of pollution load 2008, Chatterjee et al. 2009, Bhattacharyya et containing industrial and municipal wastes al. 2010). However, literature is scarcely along with agriculture runoff from catchment available on Pb contamination in Sundarban area of upstream Ichamati river through a small region focusing Bidyadhari estuarine stretches. branch is discharged into the Bidyadhari river Presence of toxic Pb in environment can affect and create a cumulative effect of pollution load. aquatic and terrestrial life. The present study The fifth station Dhuturdaha (S5), (22º 27.08'N, was undertaken to highlight the level of total 88º 42.50'E) situated at about 5.5 Km aerial Pb in surface water and sediment of river and distance from the river where influence of river ponds; ground water and hairs from local was considered quite lesser than other stations inhabitants of the different stations in and having more agricultural activities and around the Bidyadhari river. freshwater aquaculture impoundments. Water and sediments from river, pond and MATERIALS AND METHODS from human hair were considered to find the Seasons and stations: Study was conducted contamination status of Pb in the present study. in and around Bidyadhari river in different seasons of pre-monsoon (March-June), Sample collection and preservation monsoon (July-October) and post-monsoon Collection of samples: All the samples (November- February) period from March, (n=6) were collected randomly during each 2012 to February, 2013, in five different stations study season from all the stations, processed Kulti-Ghushighata (S1) where metropolitan and preserved until analysis as follows: sewages discharged and mixed up into water (i) Water: Samples of surface water from of Bidyadhari river which ultimately flowed via river (high and ebb-tide) and ponds, and ground Malancha (S2), Kanmari (S3) to Dhamakhali water from tube wells were collected in (S4), just before the river confluences with the watertight pre acid treated neutral polyethylene larger Raimangal river at Sundarban delta. containers separately from the sampling Kulti-Ghushighata (22º 31.37'N, 88º 41.53'E) stations. and Malancha (22º 30.69'N, 88º 46.16'E) (ii) Sediment: Sediment samples were located at the northwest side of the river and collected randomly from the 0-5 cm of sediment having a large number of brick kilns and layer using soil core sampler from the river and aquaculture impoundments (Bheries) at either ponds and placed into pre acid washed and sides of the river. Being mostly populated area cleaned polyethylene containers. Soil samples in comparison to other stations, Malancha were oven dried at 40?C, ground and passed 152 Lead contamination status in abiotic components and human hair around... through 63 µm sieve and stored in polyethylene comparison to pre monsoon season (Table 1). containers. According to De Smedt et al. (1998), anoxic (iii) Human scalp hair: Samples of scalp condition of estuary in summer (due to excess hair of the local women only were collected environmental temperature) enabling the and were rinsed with acetone and water formation of lead sulphide which precipitates (Trojanowski et al.