Presence of metallic elements in organisms is one of the important topics in environmental pollution, toxicology and food safety. It has been extensively studied because of the impact of these elements on the ecosystem and health of the seafood consumers. This study provides information on the concentration of some essential metals (copper, Cu; zinc, Zn) and non-essential metals (cadmium, Cd; lead, Pb) in the commonly consumed marsh clam, Polymesoda expansa, sampled randomly from Tanjung Lumpur mangrove forest, Kuantan, Pahang. It also focuses on the human health risk assessment in terms of toxicity of these metallic elements. Closed acid digestion method was used to digest the samples and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure the metal contents in the samples. The mean concentration of each metal in the tissues was recorded on a dry weight basis. The average values were: Cu, 15.5 μg/g.; Zn, 296 μg/g ; Pb, 2.31 μg/g and Cd, 1.04 μg/g . These values are within the permissible limits set by Malaysian Food Regulation (1985) and the World Health Organization (1982). The pollution load index (PLI) value of 2.94 indicates that there is no serious metal pollution in this study area. The correlation coefficient matrix between four metallic elements shows positive value, suggesting that the selected metals may have originated from the same source and accumulated in the clam tissue. A positive correlation was noted between the size of the clam and concentrations of Cd, Zn and Cu whereas it was negative for Pb. The present finding shows that the marsh clams from Tanjung Lumpur are safe for human consumption. However, a proper and continuous assessment should be done in order to monitor any changes in the contents of metallic elements since Tanjung Lumpur is near the Kuantan city center and the mining activities at the upstream area might at some stage cause metal pollution.
The distribution of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) in surface sediments was examined in waters off the coast of Marang, Terengganu. A total of 20 samples were collected using Ponar grab and analysed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer after closed digestion with acid. The sediments were filtered using a dry sieving method to determine their particle size. The spatial distribution maps on the concentration of selected metals were drawn using the ArcGIS software. Results showed that the average concentration of Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were 2.33±0.38 µg/g dry weight, 28.4±3.78 µg/g dry weight, 0.09±0.01 µg/g dry weight and 8.35±1.48 µg/g dry weight, respectively. The level of pollution was also evaluated using the Index of Geoaccumulation (Igeo) and Pollution Load Index (PLI). All Igeo and PLI values obtained were low, which indicated low or no pollution. Meanwhile, the sediment mean size ranged between -0.77Ø and 3.18Ø, which characterised a sandy type of sediment. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the heavy metals and sediment size. The results indicated that there was a common source of heavy metal pollution in the study area, possibly from shipping activities. Overall, there was no significant heavy metal pollution in the waters off Marang. This finding is important as the data could be used to evaluate the risk of metal contamination and the impact of anthropogenic activities on the marine environment.
A study had been carried out to determine Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb concentrations in the muscle and fins of four elasmobranchs species namely spot-tail sharks, milk sharks, whitespotted bamboo sharks and whitespotted guitarfish from Pulau Kambing LKIM Fishery Complex, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Zinc level was found to have the highest concentration whereas Cd had the lowest concentration in both organs. By comparing both organs, metals concentrations in fins of all elasmobranchs species were higher than muscle. Result obtained was compared with the guidelines set by Malaysian Food Regulation and the provisional tolerable weekly intake was also determined. Current study recommends that the muscle of whitespotted bamboo shark from Kuala Terengganu Waters is likely not to be consumed due to it exceeded the allowable consumption guideline. Finding of this paper is very useful as it provides the baseline data on the pollution status of elasmobranchs in Kuala Terengganu Waters.
The study examines the influence of temperature and pH on the leaching of six heavy metals (HMs) species: aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) from transparent polyethylene pellets into seawater. The idea is to understand the potential influence of intensifying global warming and ocean acidification towards microplastic toxicity in the ocean. HMs leaching was obvious by 24th hours, with most HMs concentration decreased in water by 120th and 240th hours except Al. Nevertheless, we report that temperature and pH do not influence the overall HMs leaching from PE pellets with statistical analysis showing no significance (p
Heavy metal pollution in an aquatic environment has become of the main concern to the world due to their non-biodegradable properties, toxicity, persistence, and their ability to adsorb into food chains. With rapid industrialization and development nowadays, heavy metals are introduced continuously into the estuaries and coastal region through rivers, runoff, and land-based point sources. These heavy metals may degrade the aquatic environment and harm the living organisms and toward human indirection through secondary contact. The dataset provided is to give an overview of the spatial and temporal distribution of the heavy metals concentration in Merang River surficial sediment collected from September 2017 to July 2018, subsequently every two months dataset. Sediment samples were collected in 44 stations along the river and 20 stations in the coastal area, which total up to 64 stations. Teflon Bomb closed digestion method with mixed acid was used to digest the sediments. The concentration of heavy metals in the sediment were analysed by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The spatial distribution of heavy metals shows the effect of monsoon and wet and dry seasons in the sampling area. Thus, this dataset reveals six months of information on natural and anthropogenic sources intrusion at the Merang River and may also help in monitoring the pollution in the area.
Metals are natural elements existed in the environment. However, due to the rapid development of urbanisation and economic, high content of anthropogenic metals are being perceived in polluting the environment. The oceans are known to be a part of the sinking basin for anthropogenic metals ends. Dataset provided is purposely to give an overview of dissolved metals spatial distribution in the South China Sea off the east Peninsular of Malaysia during the pre-, post- and Northeast (NE) Monsoon period. Seawater samples were collected in a grid of 18 stations at 3 different water depth. Dissolved metals were pre-concentrated on-board ship using Chelex-100 resin and analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometry (ICPMS). The dataset shows the effect of NE Monsoon on dissolved metals spatial distribution mainly at the area closer to the land. Therefore, this dataset could reveal the past information on anthropogenic metals intrusion in the South China Sea, since Terengganu state was recently pointed to be one of the Malaysian waterfront city. Additionally, this dataset also could help in studying the cycle of metals in the southern South China Sea waters.
Brunei Bay is a unique ecosystem which offers a vast biodiversity. This study was carried out to define the source of metals in the surface sediment of Brunei Bay to ensure the bay's health. The secondary data were analysed using chemometrics analysis to verify the possible factors that influence metals distribution in Brunei Bay sediment. Samples were collected several times during 2013 to 2014 using Ponar grab at 16 stations within the bay. Samples were then dried, pre-treated, digested and analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) in the laboratory. Overall, the mean concentration of metal, sediment pH and clay fraction were significantly changed during different sampling periods, as the changes were presumed affected by seasonal changes. The Pearson correlation has pointed that metals were dominantly derived by natural input; however, the total organic carbon was proven to be derived by anthropogenic sources. Moreover, the principal component analysis has verified that the distribution of metals in the bay's sediment was dominantly influenced by natural processes. However, the utilization and manipulation of marine resources are slightly affecting the bay's ecosystem which may deteriorate the ecosystem health soon.
Plastic pollution is an emerging environmental concern in recent years due to continuous mass production and its slow degradation. Microplastics measuring between 5 mm and 1 μm are being ingested by marine animals and eventually by human consumption in form of seafood. The aim of this research was to evaluate microplastics isolated from sea cucumber Acaudina molpadioides in Pulau Langkawi. A total of 20 animals were collected and their gastrointestinal tract were digested using NaOH. Microplastics were isolated, filtered and identified through microscopic examination based on the colour, shape and size. The chemical composition of microplastics were further analyzed by FTIR to identify the functional group of polymers. A total of 1652 microplastics were found in A. molpadioides. Fibres (99.4%) and black color (54.4%) were the majority of microplastics observed in terms of shapes and colors. The size range within 0.5-1 μm and 1-2 μm were the highest abundance observed. There were two identified polymer types of microplastics obtained through FTIR which were polyethylene (PE) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). In conclusion, microplastics were isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of A. molpadioides indicating that the animals were contaminated. Further research can be done on the toxicity effects of these microplastics towards human upon consumption of these animals as seafood.