ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Coastal Ocean Processes
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1554838
Cadmium Dominance in Heavy Metal Pollution: Ecological Risks and Human Health Implications in the Guan River Estuary, China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jiangsu Environmental Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing, China
- 2Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Synergistic Control of Pollution and Carbon Emissions in Key Industries, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
- 3Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
- 4Jiangsu Yunfan Testing Technology Co., Ltd.,, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
- 5College of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
- 6College of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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This study investigated heavy metal pollution in the Guan River Estuary, an area significantly impacted by terrestrial pollution. The concentrations of six heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, As) were measured in sediments, as well as the muscle tissues of 12 marine species, at 11 sampling sites using atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The levels of pollution and ecological and health risks associated with these metals were evaluated. The results showed that the sediment concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, and As were 16.75±2.25, 8.39±0.91, 55.15±5.18, 0.10±0.01, 64.64±3.22, and 11.92±0.99 mg/kg, respectively. According to the pollution load index (PLI) and the potential ecological risk index (ERI), the study area was found to exhibit moderate pollution and low ecological risk. Cadmium (Cd) emerged as the primary pollutant and risk to ecology, based on its high geoaccumulation (Igeo) and ecological risk (Er) indices. Bioaccumulation analysis revealed that marine invertebrates, such as crabs, shrimps, and edible molluscs, accumulated higher concentrations of heavy metals, particularly Cd, compared to fish. Health risk assessments indicated no significant non-carcinogenic risks to local residents (THQ < 1, HI < 1) for most metal species.The findings provide crucial insights for controlling pollution and the application of remediation strategies in the region.
Keywords: Heavy metal contamination, bioaccumulation, Non-carcinogenic risk, sediment, marine organisms；Guan River Estuary
Received: 03 Jan 2025; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Meng, Du, Cai, Li, Chen and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yimin Zhang, College of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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