PROJECT REPORT ON

‘HEAVY METAL
BIOMAGNIFICATIONS
AND DISEASES IN WEST
BENGAL’

Submitted By

KAJAL SONKAR

CU REGISTERATION No: 235-1211-0183-17

CU ROLL No: 171235-11-0079

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to start my project on “HEAVY METAL

BIOMAGNICATIONS AND DISEASES IN WEST BENGAL”. I would
like to express my special thanks of gratitude to our Principal Mausumi
Singh Sengupta, for the blessings and inspirations and providing us a
good opportunity to work on such project.

I would also like to thank our Head of Department Mrs. Ananya

Kundu, who gave the valuable guidance for the assignment which was
like a golden opportunity to do the wonderful work on the topic “HEAVY
METAL BIOMAGNICATIONS AND DISEASES IN WEST BENGAL”.

I would also like to thank our teacher Mrs. Aparajita Mukherjee for
sharing the views and guidance and encouragement in carrying out this
project work.

Last but not the least, I would also like to thanks my parents, family
members, friends and all others who helped me in finalizing this project
within the limited time frame.

Signature of the candidate

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 INDEX:

Sl. No. Topic Page no.

1 Abstract 4

2 Introduction 5-7

3 Objective 8-9

4 Area of study 10-13

5 Project Relevance 14-16

6 Methodology 17-20

7 Results and discussions 21-24

8 Conclusion 25

9 Bibliography 26

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 ABSTRACT
Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that have a high
atomic weight and a density at least five times greater than that of
water. Their multiple industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical, and
technological applications have led to their wide distribution in the
environment, raising concerns over their potential effects on human
health and the environment.

Their toxicity depends on several factors including the dose, route of

exposure, and chemical species, as well as the age, gender,
genetics, and nutritional status of exposed individuals. Because of
their high degree of toxicity, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and
mercury rank among the priority metals that are of public health
significance.

These metallic elements are considered systemic toxicants that are

known to induce multiple organ damage, even at lower levels of
exposure. They are also classified as human carcinogens (known or
probable) according to the US Environmental Protection Agency and
the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This review
provides an analysis of their environmental occurrence,
carcinogenicity, etc.

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 INTRODUCTION

The presence of heavy metals in the aquatic environment is a major

concern because of their toxicity and threat to plant and animal life
disturbing the natural ecological balance. The specific problem
associated with the heavy metals in the environment is their
accumulation through food chain and persistent in nature. Uptake of
heavy metals like zinc, copper and lead through food chain in human
being may cause various physiological disorders like hypertension,
sporadic fever, nausea, renal damage, cramps etc.

Other toxic responses include irritability, less appetite, damage to

nervous system and kidneys, anemia and gastrointestinal problems.
In fact, heavy metal pollution and its management has been a major
global concern for environmentalists due to their non-biodegradable
and hazardous nature .

The Hooghly estuarine ecosystem is one of the most productive

estuaries of the world and the backbone of capture fishery. The
fishery resources of this important estuary have tremendous
economical and nutritional importance. But the declining trend of the
commercial fishes in the recent past is a matter of concern for the
fishery scientists. One of the technological progress and industrial
revolution has been the release of a large number of chemicals into
the environment. The study area, which is an important part of
Hooghly estuarine ecosystem situated on the upper stretch of
Gangetic West Bengal. The area receives a wide variety of industrial
and municipal wastes from industries. The wastes generated from
industries include fertilizer, paints and pigments, dye-manufacturing
units, electroplating units, thermal power plants etc. These industrial
effluents contaminated the river water with a variety of heavy metals
acting as point sources.

Some of the metals are important for the growth, development and
health of living organisms. But the same metal may be considered
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toxic one as its concentration exceeds to the normal permissible
limit. The adverse effect due to non-degradation of metals leading to
accumulation in tissues followed by changes in physiological and
metabolic processes and hence become bio-accumulated. The
bioaccumulation through food chain leads to bio-magnification, which
causes severe physiological abnormalities. The level of pollutants
detected in the tissues of organisms is the only direct measure of the
proportion of the total toxicant delivery to biota and therefore
indicates the fraction that is likely to enter and affect aquatic
ecosystem. With the advent of agricultural and industrial revolution,
most of the water sources are becoming contaminated.

Industrial discharges containing toxic and hazardous substances,

including heavy metals contribute tremendously to the pollution of
aquatic ecosystems. Concentrations of both Mn and Co in gonads,
Cr in branchial hearts and Zn in both gills and mantle increased
linearly with animal weight. The muller fish, Liza Klunzingeri,
commercially important and widely relished by Kumaiti residents and
the stressed ecosystem in Kuwait Bay instigated us to conduct
toxicity and bioaccumulation tests on heavy metals (Pb, Ni, V, Cu
and Fe). Among five metals, Pb had the lowest observed effect
concentration at 1 µg L -1 (Bu-olayan et al., 2005). The pattern of
accumulation of cadmium and its affinity to selected tissues-gills,
kidneys, liver, skin and muscle-of Clarias batrachus exposed to
sublethal concentration (7 ppm) of cadmium chloride was
investigated and the mean rate of accumulation of exposure was in
order gills> kidneys> liver> skin> muscle (Jayakumar and Paul,
2006). Bhattacharya et al. (2006) observed that chromium and
cadmium in the muscles tissues and gill of six commercially edible
fishes is higher than gonads and skin in upper course of gangetic
West Bengal.

Vegetables play important roles in human nutrition and health,

particularly as sources of vitamin C, thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, folic

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acid, minerals, and dietary fibres. Heavy metal in vegetables is of
growing concern since some soils and irrigation waters are
demonstrated to be polluted. Vegetables easily take up heavy metals
and accumulate them in their edible part. Once vegetables containing
high levels of heavy metals are consumed by human, such metals can
cause several clinical and physiological problems.

Simple correlation analysis by (Ye, et al 2015) revealed that there were

significantly positive correlations between the metal concentrations in
vegetables and the corresponding soils, especially for the leafy and
stem vegetables such as pakchoi, cabbage, and celery. This study by
(Ye, et al., 2015) further reveals that Bio-concentration factor (BCF)
values for Cd are higher than those for Pb and Cr, which indicates that
Cd is more readily absorbed by vegetables than Pb and Cr. Therefore,
more attention should be paid to the possible pollution of heavy metals
in vegetables; especially Cd. Knowledge of acute toxicity of a xenobiotic
often can be very helpful in predicting and preventing acute damage to
aquatic life in receiving waters as well as in regulating toxic waste
discharges (APHA, 1998). The edible vegetables grown in wastewater-
irrigated soil shows significant accumulation of heavy metals in their
edible parts (Gupta, et al., 2008, Gupta, et al.,2010). A number of
excellent reviews of aquatic ecotoxicology have been conducted during
the past decade. These reviews have provided extensive information on
the direct toxic effects of a wide range of contaminants and, in some
cases, the indirect effects of pesticides that occur when a given species
is eliminated or reduced in number (Relyea and Hoverman, 2006). Soil
threshold for heavy metal toxicity is an important factor. It affects the
soil environmental capacity of heavy metal and determines cumulative
heavy metal loading limits. For soil-plant system, heavy metal toxicity
threshold is the highest permissible content in the soil that does not
pose any phytotoxic effects or heavy metals in the edible parts of the
crops does not exceed food hygiene standards. Heavy metal
accumulation in soils is of concern in agricultural production due to the
adverse effects on food quality (safety and marketability), crop growth

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(due to phytotoxicity) and environmental health (soil flora/fauna and
terrestrial animals).

OBJECTIVE

Metals are natural constituents that exist in the ecosystem. They are
substances with high electrical conductivity which voluntarily lose their
electrons to form cations. Metals are found all over the earth including
the atmosphere, earth crust, water bodies, and can also accumulate in
biological organisms including plants and animals

1. Determine its Impact on human health:

Humans become more susceptible to cancers, liver and kidney failure,

respiratory disorders, birth defects in pregnant women, brain damage,
and heart diseases are a result of mercury, cadmium, lead, cobalt,
chromium and other chemical poisoning. For instance, diseases like
hepatitis and cancer have been attributed to consuming seafood that
has been poisoned by mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs).

2. Determine its effects on reproduction and development of

marine creatures:

The various toxic chemicals and elements accumulate in the vital

organs of the various aquatic creatures affecting their reproduction and
development. For instance, seabird eggs are laid with thinner shells
than normal, and can result in the birds crushing their eggs instead of
incubating them. Selenium and heavy metals such as mercury also
affect the reproduction of aquatic creatures such as fish as it destroys
their reproductive organs. Besides, PCB’S (polychlorinated biphenyls)
also biomagnifies and impairs reproduction and is considerable high in
aquatic systems.

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 3. Determine the Disruption of the food chain:

Many sea creatures depend on the natural food chain for

survival. When chemicals and other toxins are carried into the soils,
rivers, lakes or oceans and taken up by various organisms, it disrupts
the interconnected relationships within the food chain.

It happens when small animals ingest or plants absorb the toxic

elements after which they are eaten by bigger animals, consequently,
affecting the entire natural food chain. The creatures or plants
intoxicated with substances such as mercury, copper, chromium,
selenium and cobalt may also be consumed by humans and top
animals in the food chain leading to susceptibility to diseases,
reproductive disorders, and even deaths.

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 AREA OF STUDY

East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is situated at the eastern outskirts of the

mega city of Kolkata, India (22°27′00′′N and 88°27′00′′E). It is the
designated Ramsar Site of West Bengal and is of utmost ecological
significance. It has a geographical area of 12, 500 ha and has an
elevation of approximately 2 m (G.T.S.). The wetlands to the east of

Kolkata are well known over the world for their multiple uses.

The resource recovery systems developed by the local people through

ages using wastewater from the city is the largest in the world. It is a
natural wastewater treatment plant and largest stretch of aquaculture
belt in the world. As identified by Ramsar Secretariat, the East Calcutta

Wetlands basically consists of three components:

(i) The core area which includes the fish pond systems, where
waste water treatment (domestic sewage of the city) and
fishing activities take place.
(ii) The garbage farming land where different types of seasonal
vegetables are cultivated during wastewater irrigation from
intermittent ponds where wastewater is settled for purification.
(iii) Paddy cultivation area where paddy cultivation is practiced in
regular course.

The metropolitan city of Kolkata lies on the fringes of this vast wetlands
and the wastewater from the city naturally drains through the
innumerable fish ponds in the wetland covering an area of about 4000
hectares. These ponds act basically as solar reactors and form a
natural reservoir of solar energy. The East Kolkata Wetlands is thus one
of the rare examples of ecologically dynamic and socio-economically
significant ecosystem. The huge peri-urban population is economically
dependent on this ecosystem by mastering the resource recovery
activities.

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 The humongous
proportions of
vegetables grown in
dumping lands turned
agricultural fields and
rich variety of fishes
grown in the
innumerable fish
ponds locally termed as bheries are nourished by water and soils
historically rich in toxic heavy metals and hazardous chemicals. The
food security challenges and issues associated with ever burgeoning
populations of Kolkata and outskirts are fulfilled by the farm productivity
of the wetlands. Bioaccumulation studies on East Kolkata Wetlands are
carried out on previous occasions. The present sampling site was
selected at Natur Bheri (220 32′ 49.9′′ N to 880 25′ 30.1′′ E) which is
one of the innumerable bheries located in East Kolkata wetlands- the
designated Ramsar site of Kolkata, West Bengal.

Study area map:

Fig. 1: Swarupnagar community block (on left) and East Kolkata

wetlands (on right).
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A.East Kolkata wetlands B. Swarupnagar community block

Arsenic toxicity in Murshidabad district:

West Bengal is one of the most arsenic affected states of India.

Arsenic poisoning in West Bengal has been first reported in 1984
(Garai R et al., 1984). Since then various studies have been done in

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this direction. Nine districts of West Bengal are arsenic affected.
Four (North 24- Pargana, Nadia, Malda and Murshidabad) of them
are severely affected. South 24- Pargana is moderately affected, and
the remaining four (Barddhaman, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata) re less
a

affected (Rahman MM et al., 2005).

Murshidabad district is divided into 26 blocks. There are 2414 villages

and wards in this district. The river Ganga separates it from
Bangladesh. The Bhagirathi river divides it into two parts. Blocks
situated in the western side of Bhagirathi river are less affected (30.1%
above 10 ug/l and 11.7% above 50 ug/l) than the blocks located on the
eastern side (64.7% above 10 ug/l and 32.5% above 50 ug/l) (Rahman
MM et al., 2005). Only groundwater of Bharatpur-II block is within the
WHO guideline value of arsenic at 10 ug/l. Suti-I and II,
Raghunathganj-I are some of the blocks of western bank showing
high level of arsenic contamination in groundwater. Arsenic
contamination in the hand tube wells of West Bengal usually decreases
with depth. In Murshidabad, all the tube-wells including unsafe ones,
shows increase in arsenic ontamination with depth of up to 30.7 m.
c

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 PROJECT RELEVANCE

Many regions of developing and developed countries are being

contaminated by human activities over centuries. Heavy metal
contamination of soil and water is one of the severe problems of
modern world. Arsenic is an important environmental pollutant
which shows health risk to human and other living organisms in
long term. Currently, contamination of drinking water and soil by
arsenic is a matter of concern, both nationally and globally.
Although, arsenic occurs naturally in earth crust, various anthropogenic
activities like excessive use of arsenic in soil as disinfectant, pesticide,
herbicide, wood preservatives and medicinal products, act as a major
cause of arsenic contamination in soil (Pais IJ and Benton Jons JR,
1997). Being a major constituent of more than 200 minerals,
desorption and dissolution of naturally occurring arsenic bearing
minerals and sediments results in high arsenic contamination in
groundwater.

This project “Heavy metal Biomagnifications and diseases in west

Bengal” helps us to know various things like:

Health effects:

Long term intake of

arsenic through
contaminated food and
water causes many
types of cancer such
as cancer of skin,
lung, liver, bladder and
kidney (Smith AH et al.,
1992). Other adverse
health effects

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associated with long term ingestion of arsenic include pulmonary
diseases, neurotoxicity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and
developmental defects (Hendryx M, 2009, Ratnaike RN, 2003). It also
causes dermatological nd respiratory disorders. Skin lesions are signs
of advanced stages of arsenic poisoning. Arsenic inhibits ATP
production through various mechanisms. It acts as a phosphate analog
and is easily taken up by the cell. Mitochondrial respiration, ATP
synthesis and reduction of NAD+ are inhibited by arsenic (Gresser
MJ, 1981). It uncouples oxidative phosphorylation and inhibits lipoic
acid, the cofactor of puruvate dehydrogenase. It also induces
oxidative DNA damage and disrupts repair mechanisms (Li D et al.,
2001).

For every 10 pounds of food an animal consumes, roughly one pound

can become body mass, increasing toxin concentrations nearly 10
times at each food-chain level. Thus, a biomagnified toxin potentially
becomes most harmful to top predators, including humans who eat
meat or fish. While bioaccumulators are stored in fat, they are released
into the bloodstream when an animal uses body fat for energy,
harming vital organs and systems. They are also released from breast
tissue in milk production and consumed by nursing offspring. If
bioaccumulators destroy keystone species in an ecosystem, such as
predators that control prey populations, it can lead to the loss or
extinction of many species. PCBs, PAHs, heavy metals, some
pesticides and cyanide are all bioaccumulators .

Effects of Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation:

Heavy metals include cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury,

nickel and tin, as well as some essential nutrients that are toxic in high
doses: iron, zinc and copper. Metal mining, gold mining (which utilizes
mercury), electronic waste

and industrial waste can all contribute heavy metals to the

environment, endangering animals and humans alike. Cadmium,
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cobalt, lead, mercury and nickel interfere with the formation of blood
cells. Some heavy metals adversely affect the nervous system, liver,
kidneys and circulatory system. Some can cause reproductive
problems or cancer. Scientists use some plant species to draw heavy
metals and other toxins from contaminated soil, but the process is risky
since other organisms might consume the plants, bringing the toxins
into the food chain.

Persistent Pollutants:

Some pollutants, including those

made up of a single element and
certain man-made chemicals, are
persistent in nature, meaning they do
not readily biodegrade. A primary
producer like a plant or alga can
absorb persistent pollutants that are
chemically similar to nutrients
required for its growth. If that material
is still in the plant when it is eaten by
the next organism up the food chain,
that organism will likely absorb more
of the toxin over time as it consumes
multiple plants. Carnivores who consume multiple animals in the area
will absorb more yet.

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 METHODOLOGY

In this project I have used various news and articles. I have also taken
help from Google, Wikipedia, etc. The articles I have used are from
the websites academia.in, researchgate.net, wikipedia.org, etc. Here
are the few articles published:

Vegetables are common diet taken by populations throughout the

world, being rich sources of essential nutrients, antioxidants and
metabolites by acting as buffering agents for acidic substances
produced during the digestion processes (Li et al., 2008). Continuous
use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides although increased the global
food production by many folds, have degraded the ecological
functioning of agricultural lands, lowered the quality and taste of
agricultural produce and have increased the health and environmental
risks to human being(Tilman et al., 2001).

The metropolitan city of Kolkata with its ever expanding urbanscapes

lies on the fringes of this area. The huge peri-urban population living in
this Community Development Block is majorly dependent on agriculture.
The humongous proportions of vegetables grown in this area are
transported to Kolkata and outskirts. The agricultural fields in the area
and rich variety of fishes grown in the innumerable fish ponds locally
termed as bheries/pukurs are nourished by water and soils historically
rich in toxic heavy metals and hazardous chemicals. The food security
challenges and issues associated with population explosion of gangetic
West Bengal are fulfilled by the farm productivity of the wetlands.
Hence, bioaccumulation studies are of pivotal importance in this area.

Biomagnification is a process where the concentration of certain

substances, such as toxic chemicals, heavy metals and pesticides,
increase as they move up in a food chain. Arsenic contamination in
surface soil and in plants is elevated by the use of arsenic
contaminated ground water for irrigation in crop fields. Rice is a

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staple cereal crop in India and Bangladesh. Rice is known to
accumulate arsenic into the grains, much more efficiently than any
other staple cereal crops. Rice is generally grown in waterlogged
flooded condition, where arsenic bioavailability is high in soil.
Irrigation of a rice field with arsenic contaminated groundwater
(0.55 mg/l) of 1000 mm results in an estimated addition of 5.5 kg of
arsenic per hectare per annum (Huq Imamul SM et al., 2006).
Therefore, knowledge of mechanism of arsenic uptake by rice will
provide ways to mitigate this problem.

Arsenate and phosphate share the same transport pathway in higher

plants, with the transporters having higher affinity for phosphate than for
arsenate. The uptake mechanism involves co-transport of phosphate or
arsenate and protons (Yang HC and Rosen BP, 2016). In Oryza
sativa, two phosphate transporters Pht1;1 and Pht1;4 play a
significant role in phosphate and arsenate acquisition from
environment having both low and high concentration of arsenic. These
phosphate transporters are strongly expressed in roots. In rice, arsenite
is mainly taken up by members of nodulin 26- like intrinsic protein
family (NIP) (Chen Y et al., 2017). In rice, OsNIP1; 1, OsNIP2; 1(Lsi1),
OsNIP2; 2(Lsi6) and OsNIP3; 1 are major arsenite importers. Lsi1
and Lsi2 proteins are localized at exodermis and endodermis of rice
roots, Lsi1 at the distal side and Lsi2 at the proximal side. Therefore,
after uptake of arsenite by Lsi1 and others in root, Lsi2 is
important for efflux of arsenite towards stele. These will lead to
accumulation of arsenite in shoots. Therefore, mutation in pht1, pht2
and lsi2 gene can result in decreased acquisition and accumulation of
arsenite and arsenate in rice.

Lead:

Lead toxicity is one of the most frequently reported unintentional toxic

heavy metal exposures in children. Lead has no known beneficial
function in human metabolism. Exposure is often through contaminated

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with paint (toys, containers, jewelry, etc.), food packaging or water
pipes. Lead can be absorbed through the skin; lead acetate can be

found in some cosmetic products. Children absorb lead up to 8-times

more efficiently than adults.

Following exposure, lead mimics calcium. This means it is most

absorbed and stored in the bones where it can remain for decades.
Conditions that cause release of calcium from the bones (fracture,
pregnancy, age-related bone loss) will also release stored lead from
bones, thus allowing it to enter into the blood and other organs. In
addition to disrupting calcium metabolism, lead can mimic and displace
magnesium and iron from certain enzymes that construct the building
blocks of DNA (nucleotides) and disrupt the activity of zinc in the
synthesis of heme – the carrier of oxygen in red blood cells.

Cadmium:

Acute cadmium intoxication is a potentially fatal, but very rare. Chronic

exposure to cadmium presents a larger threat to human health.
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Cadmium has no known beneficial role in human metabolism. Cadmium
is found in soil and ocean water, and up to 10% of the cadmium
ingested from dietary sources, such as food and water, is absorbed by
the body. It is readily absorbed through the inhalation of cigarette
smoke and can be absorbed through the skin.

Cadmium binds to red blood cells and is transported throughout the

body where it concentrates in the liver, kidneys, testes, pancreas, and
spleen. (12) Cadmium mimics zinc, disrupting zinc metabolism. There
are about 3000 different enzymes and structural proteins in human
metabolism that require zinc for their activity and are potential targets of
cadmium toxicity

Mercury

Mercury is considered one of the most dangerous toxic metals because

it enhances the distribution and retention of other heavy metals.
Mercury can distribute to many organs, but may concentrate in the brain
and kidneys. It can also cross the placenta and be found in breast milk.

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The current study reveals that bioaccumulation values of heavy metals

in both vegetables as well as fish samples is much higher in monsoon
season than in premonsoon (Table 1- 6). Among the vegetable
samples, the values show the trend in descending order Ipomoea
aquatica> Raphanus sativus>Brassica oleracea for both monsoon and
premonsoon. Among the fish samples, the values show the descending
trend Oreochromis niloticus> Labeo rohita> Catla catla. The
bioaccumulation trend of toxic heavy metals show the order lead (Pb) >
cadmium (Cd) > chromium (Cr) > mercury (Hg) irrespective of all
species.

Table 1: Accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in Ipomoea aquatica

during premonsoon (PM) and monsoon (M):

Name of Season Pb Cd Cr Hg WHO level

Species during (ppm (ppm (ppm (ppm in (ppm)
2017 dry dry dry dry
wt.) wt.) wt.) wt.)
Ipomoea PM 1.07 5.25 1.35 1.07 Pb: 0.001
aquatica M 29.61 9.67 4.16 1.33 Cd: 0.002
Cr: 0.001
Hg:0.0003

Table 2: Accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in Brassica oleracea

during premonsoon (PM) and monsoon (M):

Name of Seaso Pb Cd Cr Hg WHO level

Species n (ppm (ppm (ppm (ppm in (ppm)
during dry dry dry dry
2017 wt.) wt.) wt.) wt.)
Brassica PM 3.19 1.92 0.98 0.81 Pb: 0.001
oleracia M 4.61 3.02 1.35 0.99 Cd: 0.002

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 Cr: 0.001
Hg:0.0003
Table 3: Accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in Raphanus sativus
during premonsoon (PM) and monsoon (M):

Name of Seaso Pb Cd Cr Hg WHO

Species n (ppm (ppm (ppm (ppm level in
during dry dry dry dry (ppm)
2017 wt.) wt.) wt.) wt.)
Raphanus PM 9.34 2.17 1.33 0.94 Pb: 0.2
sativus M 13.69 3.65 1.66 1.16 Cd: 0.1
Cr: 0.001
Hg:0.03
Table 4: Accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in Labeo rohita during
premonsoon (PM) and monsoon (M):

Name of Season Pb Cd Cr Hg WHO

Species during (ppm (ppm (ppm (ppm level in
2017 dry wt.) dry wt.) dry wt.) dry wt.) (ppm)

Labeo PM 1.98 1.05 0.89 0.68 Pb: 6

rohita Cd: 2
M 4.38 1.66 1.02 0.77
Cr: 1
Hg:0.5
Table 5: Accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in Catla catla during
premonsoon (PM) and monsoon (M):

Name of Season Pb Cd Cr Hg WHO

Species during (ppm (ppm (ppm (ppm level in
2017 dry wt.) dry wt.) dry wt.) dry wt.) (ppm)

Catla PM 1.05 0.99 0.71 0.37 Pb: 6

Catla Cd: 2
M 1.66 1.37 0.89 0.73
Cr: 1
Hg:0.5

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Table 6: Accumulation of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in Oreochromis
niloticus during premonsoon (PM) and monsoon (M):

Name of Seaso Pb Cd Cr Hg WHO

Species n (ppm (ppm (ppm (ppm level in
during dry dry dry dry (ppm)
2017 wt.) wt.) wt.) wt.)
Oreochromis PM 2.02 1.14 0.94 0.71 Pb: 6
niloticus Cd: 2
M 4.49 2.05 1.11 0.94
Cr: 1
Hg:0.5

Vegetables and fishes

form the most important
sources of essential
nutrients, minerals and
vitamins essential for
human body. They form
the staple diet for millions
of people worldwide due
to their nutritional
benefits, easy availability
and mass production
across almost all agro-climatic zones of the world. Fishes are an
important source of food and animal protein. It is majorly consumed as
a staple diet by population living in the lower Gangetic belt of West
Bengal, our study area. Therefore, the levels of contaminants in fishes
are of particular interest as well as on their consumers present in the
trophic level (Burger and Gochfeld, 2005). Continuous use of inorganic
fertilizers and pesticides although increased the global food production
by many folds, have degraded the ecological functioning of agricultural
lands, lowered the quality and taste of agricultural produce and have

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increased the health and environmental risks to human being (Tilman et
al. 2001).

The study stations form one of the major sources of the vegetables and
fishes largely consumed by people across Kolkata and outskirts. A
major portion is also exported across the country and abroad. Hence, it
is extremely essential to monitor and assess the levels of toxic
substances, particularly heavy metals that bioaccumulate across the
trophic levels of the dynamic ecosystem. The present data of toxic
heavy metals such as Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr),
Mercury (Hg) as revealed during study of seasonal variations in 2017 is
much less than permissible limits in fish species as suggested by (Choi,
2011). Hence, the fish species are safe for human consumption. In case
of vegetables, the current data shows the levels of toxic heavy metals
are higher in the samples when compared with WHO/FAO
recommended levels (1999). Immediate monitoring of all point sources
is to be carried out in and around our study site to keep a track on the
bioaccumulation pattern and trend in edible vegetables and fishes to
avoid any adverse effect on human health. More such seasonal studies
are to be carried out in East Kolkata Wetlands on a temporal scale to
assess and monitor the environmental health (particularly with respect
to conservative pollutants) across different trophic levels in this unique
ecosystem.

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.

CONCLUSION
The phenomenon of bioaccumulation and bio-magnification intensified
with concentration of heavy metals at different tropic levels. In aquatic
ecosystem the primary producers absorb the metallic ions, which in turn
pass to the consumer level through predictions. The degree of bio-
magnification of heavy metals at different levels depends upon the
bioaccumulation capacity of the flora and fauna. In water they occur as
complex and diverse mixtures of soluble and insoluble forms such as
ionic species, inorganic and organic complexes and/or associated with
colloids and suspended particulate matter (Pani et al., 2002).

Today, fishes have become the major diet and there have been
attempts to devise ways to enhance fish production. The
bioaccumulation of zinc, copper and lead in edible part of the fishes
indicates the extent of stress posed on this highly productive
ecosystem. Muscle tissues and gill showed higher concentration of zinc,
copper and lead than gonads and skin. In fact, lowest concentration of
heavy metals was observed in tissue of gonads for all the different fish
species from the upper course (Bally, Uttar Para region) of Ganga
River. The metal accumulation trend was observed to zinc > copper >
lead.

Also the major findings of the study reveals that heavy metal
concentrations in muscle, gonads, skin and gill of Apocryptes
bato, Glossogobius guris, Gudusia chapra, Mastacembelus
armatus, Eutropiichthys vacha and Cynoglossus punticeps from the
river Ganga were significantly alarming and in general exhibited a
unique seasonal variation. The highest metal accumulation was observed
during the monsoon.

Carnivores at the top of the food chain such as birds and mammals
including humans, obtain most of their pollutant burden from aquatic
ecosystems by way of their food especially fish (Mason, 1990). People
who eat contaminated fish regularly, therefore, are most exposed to the
risk of chronic poisoning (Milagros, 1996). Although in the study area,
the availability of heavy metals is still below alarming level (the
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acceptable limit for human consumption of the heavy metals are copper
10 µg g-1, zinc 150 µg g-1 and lead 1.5 µg g-1 dry weight (Nair et al.,
1997) but if the present trend continues, the level might get elevated
and the consumption of the contaminated fishes might being severe
health hazards to human beings in longer duration. Therefore, proper
monitoring and control is utmost important to keep the health of this
highly productive ecosystem intact.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
I have taken help from various sites:
https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=tasr.2007.492.499

researchgate.net/publication/328984666_Contamination_of_Pond_with_Fluoride_and_Heavy_Metal
s_in_the_Central_India

https://www.academia.edu/39779476/Bioaccumulation_pattern_of_heavy_metals_in_vegetables_
collected_from_selected_areas_in_and_around_Kolkata_city_India

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12403-014-0122-x

https://wakeup-world.com/2015/02/07/a-guide-to-heavy-metals-and-their-health-effects/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12403-014-0122-x

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1512188716301142

https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=tasr.2007.492.499

http://www.hmgindia.co.in/water-treatment-plant-3172097.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144270/

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