Toxin Reviews ISSN: 1556-9543 (Print) 1556-9551 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/itxr20 Distribution, source identification, ecological and health risks of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Rupsa River, Bangladesh Ram Proshad, Tapos Kormoker & Saiful Islam To cite this article: Ram Proshad, Tapos Kormoker & Saiful Islam (2019): Distribution, source identification, ecological and health risks of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Rupsa River, Bangladesh, Toxin Reviews, DOI: 10.1080/15569543.2018.1564143 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15569543.2018.1564143 Published online: 21 Jan 2019. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 41 View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=itxr20 TOXIN REVIEWS https://doi.org/10.1080/15569543.2018.1564143 RESEARCH ARTICLE Distribution, source identification, ecological and health risks of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Rupsa River, Bangladesh Ram Proshada , Tapos Kormokerb and Saiful Islama,c aDepartment of Soil Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali, Bangladesh; bDepartment of Emergency Management, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali, Bangladesh; cGraduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY The present study was conducted to assess the pollution level and distribution of heavy metals Received 26 September 2018 and their ecological and health risk in sediments of the Rupsa River, Bangladesh. Heavy metals Accepted 16 December 2018 were measured by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The mean concentra- KEYWORDS tion of Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb in sediments was 25.26, 42.40, 68.81, 9.31, 3.78, and 32.57 mg/ Surface sediment; heavy kg, respectively. Metals in sediment during winter were higher than summer season. metals; source Multivariate principal component analysis revealed significant anthropogenic contributions of Cr, identification; ecological Ni, As and Cd in sediment. The enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution risk; health risk; Bangladesh i load index (PLI), and contamination factor (C f) demonstrated that most of the sediment samples were heavily contaminated by Cd. The sum of toxic units in most of the sampling sites during winter season was greater than 4, indicating a moderate to serious toxicity of heavy metals in sediment. In view of the potential ecological risk, sediments of Rupsa River showed low to very high potential ecological risk. The chronic daily intake of metals were higher than oral RfD which was the result of metal contamination. The total hazard index for adult and children, about 100% sampling location possess (HI > 1) indicating pose non-cancer risk. The carcino- genic risks from As and Pb at all sites via ingestion and dermal contact were higher than acceptable ranges (10À4). This study suggested that more attention should be directed to the comprehensive risk assessment of heavy metals of this riverine aquatic environment. Introduction agricultural, and different textile industries discharge untreated wastes into the river directly without any In recent years, contamination of heavy metals in the treatment of wastage resulting metal pollution in the aquatic environment has attracted global attention river environment (Sekabira et al. 2010, Bhuiyan et al. owing to its persistence and environmental toxicity 2011, Zhang et al. 2011, Grigoratos et al. 2014). (Armitage et al. 2007, Yuan et al. 2011, Ahmed et al. Contamination of water bodies by heavy metals ranks 2015, Islam et al. 2015a, Ali et al. 2016, Islam et al. among the major environmental problems, with many 2017). Highly toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, cad- issues accompanying rapid economic development in mium, and lead are considered as serious contami- both developed and developing countries (Wu et al. nants in the aquatic environment (Islam and Al- 2011, Islam et al. 2014, 2018). Recently, the pollution Mamun 2017, Proshad et al. 2018). The huge amount of aquatic environments has been regarded as a topic of heavy metals is discharged by anthropogenic activ- of much discussion; and the issue of sediment con- ities (Gao et al. 2010, Nduka and Orisakwe 2011)as tamination by heavy metals has received more atten- well as by natural actions that contribute metal con- tion due to the toxic and persistent characters tamination in the aquatic environments (Wilson and (Armitage et al. 2007, Zhan et al. 2010, Yuan et al. Pyatt 2007, Khan et al. 2008, Sekabira et al. 2010, Bai 2011, Raknuzzaman et al. 2016, Islam et al. 2018). et al. 2011, Zhang et al. 2011, Martin et al. 2015, Sediment is an essential and dynamic part of the Bhuyan et al. 2017). Usually heavy metals sources are riverine ecosystems with a variety of habitats and varied for country to country but notably include min- environments. Sediments usually provide useful infor- ing, landfill, tanning, chemical, pharmaceutical, mation for environmental and geochemical pollution CONTACT Ram Proshad [email protected] Department of Soil Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh ß 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group 2 R. PROSHAD ET AL. status (Uluturhan et al. 2011, Islam et al. 2015b). In 2015b, Islam et al. 2018). As a developing country like sediment, heavy metals are present in a number of Bangladesh is facing this environmental problem and chemical forms and undergo various changes in their the aquatic environment is continuously being conta- speciation due to dissolution, precipitation, sorption, minated by heavy metals. Rupsa River is the largest and complexation phenomena during their transporta- and important river in the Khulna City area of tion through the river system (Mohiuddin et al. 2012, Bangladesh. Because of the industrially developed Islam et al. 2018). The concentrations of heavy metals area, the heavy metal pollution of the Rupsa River is are extremely high in sediment than the water column increasing day by day. The study river recently has because of metals tend to amass in bottom deposits been raised attention to public concern due to its (He et al. 2009, Sultan and Shazili 2009, Nobi et al. extreme pollution. To date, no scientific research 2010, Rezayi et al. 2011, Bhuyan et al. 2017). In the regarding heavy metal pollution in sediment of the riverine ecosystems, sediments can be polluted with Rupsa River has been conducted so far. Therefore, the various kinds of hazardous substances and heavy met- objectives of this study are to assess the pollution sta- als through several pathways such as disposal of liquid tus of the Rupsa River by estimating the levels of effluents, traffic emissions, terrestrial runoff, brick kilns, heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) in surface and leachates carrying chemicals originating from sediments in two different seasons; to observe the numerous urban, industrial, and agricultural activities level of ecological risk of heavy metals in sediments; (Ahmad et al. 2010, Chen et al. 2012, Shikazono et al. and also to evaluate the noncarcinogenic and carcino- 2012, Varol and Sen 2012). Various indexes, such as genic health risk that the heavy metals may pose contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geo- to humans. accumulation index (Igeo), and pollution load index (PLI), have been developed to evaluate the environ- Materials and methods mental risk of heavy metals in surface sediment based on their total content, bioavailability, and toxicity Description of the study area (Yang et al. 2009,Yuet al. 2011). The enrichment fac- The area of Khulna district is 4389.11 km2 and located tor, geoaccumulation index, and contamination factor at the southern in Bangladesh and third largest indus- of individual heavy metal in sediment are calculated trialist area of the country after Dhaka and using its total content and sediment quality guideline Chittagong. The Khulna city is situated on the bank of value (Hou et al. 2013, Zhang et al. 2013, Islam et al. Rupsa River and this river play a significant role in 2018). The pollution load index (PLI) and potential development and industrialization of Khulna city and ecological risk index (PER) have also been developed also economy of Bangladesh. Rupsa River is 50 km to assess the combined risk of multiple heavy metals away from the largest mangrove Sundarban on the in sediment (Yang et al. 2009, Huang et al. 2013). To upstream of the Rupsa (Samad et al. 2015). The lower assess the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health part of the Vhairab River near Khulna city is known as risk of heavy metals, several methods have also been Rupsa River. Khulna is an industrial area of developed such as chronic daily intake (CDI) estima- Bangladesh, which is highly susceptible to environ- tion, target hazard quotient (THQ), and hazard index mental pollution over the last decade. Several types of (HI). Therefore, it is essential to measure the concen- industries were set up on the bank of Rupsa River like trations of heavy metals in sediments of any polluted fish processing industry, cement industry, shipyard, riverine ecosystem. tannery industries, packaging industry, dyeing, brick Bangladesh is one of the largest deltas in the world kiln, metal workshops, battery manufacturing indus- which formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra