Metal concentrations in certain coastal organisms from Beirut

Abstract

Trace metal concentrations were determined in six species of intertidal organisms common to the coast of Ras Beirut, Lebanon . Lead, cadmium, nickel, iron, and zinc were highest in the polychaete, Hermodice carunculata, but the eggs of the sea urchin, Arbacia lixula, had similar iron levels and the sea anemone, Actinia equina, had zinc concentrations which also approached levels in the polychaete . The highest copper occurred in the shore crab, Pachygrapsus transversus, while chromium was highest in the eggs of Arbacia lixula . Cystoseira spinosa, the only alga studied, had average copper and iron concentrations similar to those found in the same species in another study . Together with the sea urchin eggs, C. spinosa exhibited the most variable zinc levels in the present investigation . The fish, Thalassoma pavo, which is rather common along the rocky coastal areas of Lebanon, appeared to have fairly high concentrations of certain elements in relation to levels reported in species of fish from other locations .Sewage, garbage, industrial and agricultural waste materials all enter the Mediterranean from Lebanon without prior treatment, which along with increased land erosion, probably contribute substantially to the availability of metals to the biota studied . It is suggested that more work on trace elements in coastal organisms from the eastern Mediterranean basin be undertaken before any conclusive statements are made . Such work should also investigate the various physiological and biochemical factors involved in metal uptake and retention by each species .

Heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) in sediment, zooplankton and epibenthic invertebrates from the area of the continental slope of the Banc d'Arguin (Mauritania)

“…The concentration of heavy metals in bivalve molluscs from marine environments of different geographical regions . However, copper concentrations were considerably (a factor 2 to 8) lower than in crab species from contaminated coastal environments from temperate (Stenner & Nickless, 1974 ;Lande, 1977 ;Karbe et al, 1988) and subtropical latitudes (Stenner & Nickless, 1975 ;Cuadras et al, 1981 ;Shiber, 1981). However, copper concentrations were considerably (a factor 2 to 8) lower than in crab species from contaminated coastal environments from temperate (Stenner & Nickless, 1974 ;Lande, 1977 ;Karbe et al, 1988) and subtropical latitudes (Stenner & Nickless, 1975 ;Cuadras et al, 1981 ;Shiber, 1981).…”

Southern Ocean biological iron cycling in the pre-whaling and present ecosystems

“…amphipods, polychaetes, chaetognaths, jellyfish, etc.). The Fe content for this functional group (0.0254-0.0697 kg Fe t −1 wet weight) is an average of the low and high Fe estimates for amphipods (0.00559-0.1035 kg Fe t −1 wet weight [67][68][69], using a 23 : 100 dry : wet weight ratio [70]); chaetognaths (0.01767 kg Fe t −1 wet weight [68], using a 9.3 : 100 dry : wet weight ratio [70]; and jellyfish (0.053-0.088 kg Fe t −1 wet weight [71], as reported in Moreno & Haffa ([66], table 1).…”

Heavy Metals in Natural Waters

“…Marine specimens collected from industrial areas often have slightly higher burdens than those found in freshwater Toxicity 69 species. Residues in wrass from the Mediterranean (Lebanon) reached 1.6 mg kg-' wet weight whereas several species collected from the coast ofIsrael had up to 1 mg Cr kg-' (Shiber, 1981;. There are numerous reports from other industrialized areas indicating residues in muscle do not exceed 0.5 mg kg-I.…”

“…Similarly, maximum levels in molluscs and crustaceans collected near Sudbury were 29 -39 mg kg-I wet weight (Hutchinson et al, 1975). Mediterranean coastal waters (Lebanon) yielded molluscs, polychaetes, urchins, and anemones containing soft tissue residues of < 0.1-40 mg kg-I wet weight (Shiber, 1981) though levels in the bivalve Scrobicularia plana inhabiting unpolluted English waters reached 11.9 mg kg-I dry weight (Bryan and Hummerstone, 1978). Several other gastropod and bivalve species, collected from various unpolluted and polluted sites throughout the world, carried residues of 0.3-<9.5 mg kg-I dry weight (Karbe et aI., 1977;Watling and Watling, 1976).…”