Comparison of Pollution Levels, Biomagnification Capacity, and Risk Assessments of Heavy Metals in Nearshore and Offshore Regions of the South China Sea

Shaochen Yang; Kaifeng Sun; Jinling Liu; Nan Wei; Xing Zhao

doi:10.3390/ijerph191912248

Comparison of Pollution Levels, Biomagnification Capacity, and Risk Assessments of Heavy Metals in Nearshore and Offshore Regions of the South China Sea

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 27;19(19):12248. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912248.

Authors

Shaochen Yang^{1

2

3

4}, Kaifeng Sun², Jinling Liu^{1

3

4}, Nan Wei², Xing Zhao^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Hubei Key Laboratory of Critical Zone Evolution, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
² South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou 510655, China.
³ Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Functional Geomaterials in China Nonmetallic Minerals Industry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
⁵ College of Earth Sciences, Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China.

Abstract

Seawater and fish were collected from nearshore (Pearl River Estuarine, PRE) and offshore (middle of the South China Sea, MSCS) regions of the South China Sea (SCS) to determine the heavy metals (HMs) pollution status and biomagnification characteristics. Results show that Cu in PRE seawater was moderately contaminated. Overall pollution risk of seawater were PRE (3.32) > MSCS (0.56), whereas that of fish was MSCS (0.88) > PRE (0.42). δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N exhibited distinguished characteristics for PRE and MSCS fish, indicating the diverse energy sources, nitrogen sources, and food web structures of nearshore and offshore regions. Cu was biomagnified whereas Pb and Ni were biodiluted in offshore fish. Hg presented significant biomagnification in both of nearshore and offshore fish. Finally, the target hazard quotient of Hg (1.41) in MSCS fish exceeded the standard limit, which was posed by high Hg concentration and consumption rate of offshore fish.

Keywords: biomagnification; carbon stable isotope; health risk assessments; heavy metals; nitrogen stable isotope; the South China Sea.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Bioaccumulation
China
Environmental Monitoring
Fishes
Lead
Mercury*
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Nitrogen
Risk Assessment
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Lead
Mercury
Nitrogen

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (Funding No. PM-zx097-202204-079; Funder: Nan Wei).