Integrated assessment of heavy metal contamination in water, sediments and marine organisms from Southeast coast of India

Abstract

The present investigation examined the bioaccumulation of toxic metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) in water, sediment and biota along the coastal regions of Parangipettai and Nagapattinam. The concentrations of heavy metals in water, sediment and biota were Zn>Pb>Cu>Hg>Cd, Cu>Zn>Pb>Cd>Hg and Zn>Cu>Pb>Hg>Cd, respectively. Statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis revealed that concentrations of Zn, Cu and Pb were found higher in water, sediments and biota at Parangipettai (St. 1). Geospatial analyses were made to study the spatial distribution of heavy metals and its sources in study sites observed. Accumulation factors of abiota and biota were identified by the domination of higher values than the average background values and followed by the comparison with the trace metals from other coastal regions in the southeast coast of India. The result of the present study shows that the Parangipettai region had higher pollutants than that of Nagapattinam.