Bioaccumulation of Copper in Water, Sediment and Selected Fish Species from Different Trophic Level with Habitat Preferences in the Pulicat lagoon, South India

Jeevitha, J and Aruna, S and Jeya Shakila, R and Pavinkumar, P and Rani, V and Gomathi, P and Ariseka, U and Panda, Uma Sankar (2025) Bioaccumulation of Copper in Water, Sediment and Selected Fish Species from Different Trophic Level with Habitat Preferences in the Pulicat lagoon, South India. Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal. pp. 1-20. ISSN 1549-7887

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Abstract

The imbalance of copper (Cu) represents a risk to both aquatic organisms and human communities because this substance accumulates in fish which impacts the ecosystems and public health. Cu maintains crucial importance for ecosystems only at specific minimal levels but transforms into toxic substance once measured amounts exceed ecological threshold levels. Cu concentrations in water, sediment, and selected organisms (phytoplankton, zooplankton, and six fish species) were measured across sampling stations of Pulicat Lagoon over one year. Bioaccumulation, Biota sediment accumulation and Biomagnification factors were calculated. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was employed for Cu quantification in environmental and biological samples. Cu contamination in water of Pulicat lagoon are above permissible limits as prescribed by Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) standard values. Cu contamination in sediment of Pulicat lagoon also exceeded the permissible limits under NOAA SQuiRT (2004). The Cu contamination found in the muscles of selected fishes was within the permissible limit of 30 µg/g, as prescribed by FAO/WHO (1989). The Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) for Cu in the muscles of all selected fish species was below 1000, with Mugil cephalus showing the highest value in muscle at 999.23. There is no risk of Cu bioaccumulation in fish muscle of Pulicat lagoon. Biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) values were <1, indicates Cu is de-concentrator in Pulicat lagoon. Biomagnification Factor (BMF) indicated that there is no magnification of Cu in selected fish species in Pulicat Lagoon.

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