HEAVY METAL DISTRIBUTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF FISHES AND SEDIMENTS OF SUNDERBAN WETLAND

Abstract

The release of pollution into the environment is a persistent problem in every country. Pollution sources include manufacturing, fertilization, electricity generation, waste water treatment and mining operations. Biomonitoring is one way to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the changes in the environment due to pollution by anthropogenic sources. Sediment and fish samples from the different sites of Sundarban wetland were analyzed to find out the distribution of heavy metals like Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb by ICP-MS. Further metal speciation has been done using sequential extraction. The sediment samples to check in which form metal is associated with the silica matrix or present in sediment viz ion-exchangeable, oxides, carbonates or sulphide using AAS. Comparison between sediment & fish sample result can provide the idea of bioavailability of heavy metals which indirectly is the measure of propagation of toxic or essential metal in biosystem from sediment. Analysis of metal in fish samples is also plays a important role for an idea of contamination in biological systems. Analysis of parts of fish has great significance in order to find out the accumulation of different toxic metals in different part of body while analysis of whole fish let us know which species is more sensitive to which metal.