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Determination of Potentially Toxic Elements Concentrations in Common Moorhen (Gallinula Chloropus) in the Zayanderud River

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Department of Biology Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

2 2- Environmental Science and Engineering Department, Waste and Wastewater Research Center, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

3 Department of Environment, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Birds, especially resident species, are valuable indicators of potentially toxic element (PTE) pollution in aquatic environments. These organisms are critical for assessing environmental health. This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (zinc, copper, cadmium, lead, selenium, and arsenic) in the feathers of the common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) in the Zayanderud River.

Materials and Methods: Thirty feather samples were collected from common moorhens across various regions along the Zayanderud River. After collection, the feathers were prepared using an acid digestion method. The concentrations of the elements were determined using ICP-MS.

Results: The mean concentrations of zinc, copper, cadmium, lead, selenium, and arsenic were 59.07, 10.73, 0.49, 5.52, 2.33, and 2.66 μg/g, respectively. Based on established threshold levels, cadmium, lead, arsenic, and selenium concentrations were considered unfavorable. The proximity of the study area to industrial effluents and human sewage discharge points suggests that these pollutants in the common moorhen feathers likely originate from anthropogenic sources.

Conclusion: The findings of this research demonstrate that the common moorhen can be utilized as an indicator for assessing the concentrations of potentially toxic elements. These results emphasize the importance of assessing the environmental impacts of human activities on aquatic resources.
 
Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Keywords

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Journal of Research in Environmental Health
Volume 10, Issue 2 - Serial Number 38
September 2024
Pages 111-121
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