Heavy Metal Profile of <i>Oreochromis niloticus</i> Harvested from E-Waste Polluted Vials and Associated Fungi

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the possible variation in bioaccumulation of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, zinc, cobalt, chromium, nickel, and manganese) in the tissue of harvested Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia) and the associated fungi from vials treated with soil from e-waste dumpsite and soil without e-waste. E-waste is electronic waste which contains valuable metals as well as potential environmental contaminants. The heavy metals in soil and fish samples were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after homogeneity and digestion of samples. The associated fungi were identified using standard microbiological methods. The genera of the associated fungi were: Penicillium, Candida, Articulospora, Aspergillus, Aspergillus, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Mucor, Zoopage, Varicosporium and Rhodoturula. The quantity of fungi isolated from each pollution treatments showed that the number of fungi were inversely proportional to the quantity of e-waste soil pollution and directly proportional to the quantity of soil without e-waste pollution. The occurrence of the fungi species revealed that the untreated (control) vial had the highest occurrence (191) while the lowest occurrence (103) occurred in the vial polluted with the highest quantity of soil from e-waste dumpsite. The pH and the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the vials were significantly affected by the pollutions. Variations were also observed in the bioaccumulation of the heavy metals by Oreochromis niloticus. Cadmium (0.01 mg/kg) and nickel (0.02 -0.08 mg/kg) were the least recorded metal in the tissue of the fish while cobalt was not detected after the five weeks period. The sequence of the heavy metals concentrations in Oreochromis niloticus tissue samples was Zn > Mn > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd > Co. The accumulation of the metals in the fish tissue were, however, lower than the international maximum guidelines, except for manganese (0.29 -3.13 mg/kg) that exceeded the 0.01 -0.05 mg/kg threshold levels for manganese by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). Protecting the environments from toxic metals is necessary, hence a need for public awareness on the dangers of these toxic metals and law for proper disposal of e-waste.A. I. Sanusi 556

E-Waste and Its Consequence for Environment and Public Health: Perspectives in Covid-19 Pandemic Times

“…It was observe the bioaccumulation of Pb, Cd, Mn, Co, Ni, and other. The author concluded that e-waste can contaminate the soil in recycle area, wich represent a contamination risk to fishes in water near e-waste (Sanusi, 2016). In other Nigerian study study was investigated the possible contamination of water and soil samples from alaba, an International Electronics Market (AIEM) situated in Lagos.…”