Trace elements in sediments, blue spotted tilapia Oreochromis leucostictus (Trewavas, 1933) and its parasite Contracaecum multipapillatum from Lake Naivasha, Kenya, including a comprehensive health risk analysis
- Author(s)
- Elick O. Otachi, Wilfried Koerner, Annemarie Avenant-Oldewage, Christine Fellner, Franz Jirsa
- Abstract
This study presents the distribution of 15 major and trace elements in sediments and fish and their pericardial parasites from Lake Naivasha, Kenya. The lake is one of the few freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley and is under strong anthropogenic pressure mainly due to agricultural activities. Its fish provide a valuable protein source for approximately 100,000 people in the area. Fish and their parasites have been acknowledged as indicators of environmental quality due to their accumulation potential for both essential and nonessential trace elements. A total of 34 specimens of the blue spotted tilapia Oreochromis leucostictus and pooled samples of their pericardial parasite, the anisakid nematode Contracaecum multipapillatum (larvae 3), were examined. Element concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS). The concentrations of elements in the sediments reflected the geology of the area and did not point to pollution: none of the investigated trace elements, including Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn, showed elevated values. In contrast, concentrations in the fish muscle were elevated for Li, Sr, Cd, and Zn, with high target hazard quotients (THQ > 0.1) indicating a potential health risk to the consumers of this fish. Fish liver showed significantly higher concentrations of the trace elements Fe, Mn, Cd, and Cu compared to the muscle and C. multipapillatum. In the parasite, Zn had the highest concentration, but the worms only minimally accumulated trace elements in relation to their fish host.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Inorganic Chemistry
- External organisation(s)
- Egerton University, University of Johannesburg (UJ)
- Journal
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research
- Volume
- 21
- Pages
- 7339-7349
- No. of pages
- 11
- ISSN
- 0944-1344
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2602-8
- Publication date
- 06-2014
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106027 Ecotoxicology, 104023 Environmental chemistry, 403023 Veterinary parasitology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pollution, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Environmental Chemistry
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/trace-elements-in-sediments-blue-spotted-tilapia-oreochromis-leucostictus-trewavas-1933-and-its-parasite-contracaecum-multipapillatum-from-lake-naivasha-kenya-including-a-comprehensive-health-risk-analysis(abcfa326-cac2-4f63-99df-d9a76c43503d).html