Heavy metal levels in blood cockle from south Vietnam coastal waters

ABSTRACT

The blood cockle, Anadara granosa, is a favoured bivalve mollusc species of Vietnamese people. Since the cockle is a filter feeder, heavy metals (HM) in the mudflat and natural food tend to accumulate in its tissues. This study was conducted to evaluate the concentrations of HMs (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in soft tissues of cockles from the southern coast provinces of Vietnam. Levels of HMs in the cockle were then used to estimate biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) and human health risk. The results showed that the concentrations of HMs generally did not differ significantly among provinces. The highest BSAF value was found for Cd in the cockle. The estimated target hazard quotients and hazard indices for HMs via consuming cockle were <1, implying that consumers would not experience the non-carcinogenic risk. It is essential that routine monitoring programs of HM levels in cockles are established.

KEYWORDS:

• Anadara granosa
• blood cockle
• BSAF
• cadmium
• heavy metals
• Vietnam

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Vietnamese Ministry of Training and Education under grant number B2013-12-07. We would like to thank Professor Ichiro Takeuchi of Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Japan who offered the certified reference materials.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

The conceptualisation was the responsibility of Nguyen Phuc Cam Tu, Nguyen Ngoc Ha and Nguyen Nhu Tri. Sampling and sample preparation was performed by Nguyen Phuc Cam Tu, Nguyen Ngoc Ha and Dinh The Nhan. Chemical analysis was performed by Nguyen Ngoc Ha and Nguyen Van Dong. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Nguyen Phuc Cam Tu and Nguyen Nhu Tri, and all authors have commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training [Grant Number B2013-12-07].