Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Bioaccumulation and Health Risk Assessment of Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury in Blue Crabs Found in Creeks in Bayelsa State of Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

C. J. O. Anarado, Awajiiroijana U. Okpoji, C. E. Anarado

Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology · pp. 46–59 · Published 20 Jul 2023

10.9734/ajee/2023/v21i4469

Abstract

This research investigated the accumulation of four heavy metals: Pb, Cd, As, and Hg in male and female crabs obtained from four creeks in Bayelsa State and the potential health risks associated with their consumption. The heavy metals were analyzed using Micro-Wave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrophotometer 4200 Agilent. The mean concentrations of Pb (mg/kg) in the male crabs obtained in Nembe, Taylor, Kolo and Nuno creeks were 41.13±0.17, 31.23±0.12, 38.70±0.33 and 11.63±0.37 respectively, whereas those of the female crabs were 45.63±0.25, 32.00±0.24, 40.00 0.08 and 12.20±0.08 respectively. The mean concentrations of Cd (mg/Kg) in the male crabs from the same creeks were 46.77±0.42, 37.23±0.17, 41.83±0.37 and 28.60±0.29 respectively, whereas those of the female crabs were 47.73±0.37, 39.65±0.45, 45.03±0.25 and 29.40±0.08 respectively. The mean concentrations of As (mg/Kg) in the male crabs from the same creeks were 5.067±0.21, 4.83±0.21, 4.73±0.21 and 1.77±0.12 respectively, whereas those of the female crabs were 6.03±0.17, 5.13±0.17, 5.10±0.08 and 2.07±0.12 respectively. The mean concentrations of Hg (mg/Kg) in the male crabs from the same creeks were 7.87±1.37, 5.57±0.16, 6.80±1.14 and 5.93±0.90 respectively, whereas those of the female crabs were 9.20±0.99, 6.40±0.54, 9.23±1.01 and 6.17 ±0.09 respectively. The concentrations of all the heavy metals were generally higher than the permissible level by Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization in seafood. Statistical analysis of the level of the studied metals showed there is a significant difference p< (0.05). The Total Hazard Quotient (THQ) in all the blue crab in all the creeks were less than 1. The Estimated Metal Intake, Health Risk Index,  and Carcinogenic Risk indicated a risk of developing cancer over time due to the ingestion of Pb, Cd, and As. From the results, the health risks associated with exposure to the heavy metals through the consumption of the blue crabs for the inhabitants in the study area are in the order: Pb ˃Cd>Hg>As. Therefore, blue crabs from the creeks under study are considered unsafe for consumption.

Heavy metal blue crab cadmium lead mercury arsenic health risk assessment

References (14)

  1. 1 Health risks of heavy metals to the general public in Tianjin, China via consumption of vegetables and fish [DOI]
  2. 2 Potential human health risks from metals (Hg, Cd, and Pb) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) via seafood consumption: Estimation of target hazard quotients (THQs) and toxic equivalents (TEQs) [DOI]
  3. 3 A comparative study of human health risks via consumption of food crops grown on wastewater irrigated soil (Peshawar) and relatively clean water irrigated soil (lower Dir) [DOI]
  4. 4 Content and daily intake of copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, and mercury from dietary supplements in Mexico [DOI]
  5. 5 Heavy Metals in Four Marine Fish and Shrimp Species from a Subtropical Coastal Area: Accumulation and Consumer Health Risk Assessment [DOI]
  6. 6 Heavy metal uptake by plants from wastewater of different pulp concentrations and contaminated soils [DOI]
  7. 7 Seasonal Variation of Physicochemical Parameters of Water and Sediments from Iko River, Nigeria
  8. 8 Potential Health Impacts of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Fresh and Marine Water Fishes Consumed in Southeast, Nigeria [DOI]
  9. 9 Health Risk Assessment from Exposure to Heavy Metals in Surface and Groundwater Resources within Barkin Ladi, North Central Nigeria [DOI]
  10. 10 Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals and Potential Health Risk through Consumption of Seafoods from Selected Creeks in Rivers State, Nigeria [DOI]
  11. 11 Ecological and Potential Health Effects of Hydrocarbon and Heavy Metal Concentrations in the KoloCreek Wetlands, South-South, Nigeria
  12. 12 Journal of Environment and Earth Science [DOI]
  13. 13 Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) [DOI]
  14. 14 Biology [DOI]

Cited by 14

Toxicological Evaluation of Pb, Cd, As, and Hg in Blue Crab from Oil-Polluted Creeks in the Niger Delta

A. U. Okpoji, Chijoke J. O. Anarado, Ebelechukwu C. Mmuta · Journal of Life Science and Public Health · 2025

Bioaccumulation of Nickel, Lead, and Cadmium in Tissues of Callinectes sapidus from the Iko River, Nigeria: Implications for Human Health Risk and Environmental Safety

A. U. Okpoji, Justina A. Emem, I. Ekwere · Journal of Environment, Climate, and Ecology · 2025

Concentration of Dietary Exposure and Health Risk Assessment of Ni, Cd and Pb in Periwinkles Clams and Nile tilapia Harvested from Selected Communities in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

A. I. Kalagbor, B. Martins, B. N. Obelema · Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management · 2025

Lead, Nickel, Arsenic, and Chromium Contamination in Nigerian Groundwater: Sources, Potential Impacts, and Removal Techniques

Johnbosco C. Egbueri, Johnson C. Agbasi, Joshua O. Ighalo · Springer Water · 2025

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

22

Page views

0

PDF downloads

3

Outbound clicks

14

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.