Assessment of aquatic arthropod health in terms of heavy metal contamination: using Macrobrachium lamarrei as a representative

Introduction: Biogeoaccumulation of hazardous elements are an issue of concern for researchers. The geological deposition of hazardous heavy metals has a substantial impact on the ecosystem health, animal health and public health. Different metal bioaccumulation leads to different metal-induced effects on animals. This poses a long-term health risk to the general public. In the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the West Bengal area, prawns are a highly abundant species with high nutritional value. The majority of the prawns that are typically transported to urban areas for sale come from these rural regions. Thus, we are interested in determining the heavy metal contamination profiles in edible prawns like Macrobrachium lamarrei.

Methodology: Prawns (Macrobrachium lamarrei) of average size were selected from their natural habitat (freshwater ponds) and were analysed via trace metal analysis in their edible tissue (muscle). The Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) technique was used to determine the content of heavy metals in prawn samples from a rural region in West Bengal, India.

Result: Heavy metal contamination of non-industrial rural soils and pond sediments is alarming. In terms of the bioaccumulation of trace metals, prawns (Macrobrachium lamarrei) have been estimated to accumulate notable concentrations of zinc (Zn), followed by copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn). With respect to the most hazardous heavy metals (or metalloids), the prawns were assessed and showed that the accumulation levels of arsenic (As) are the highest, followed by cadmium (Cd). However, there were no traces of lead contamination in the prawns.

Conclusion: This study aimed to determine aquatic invertebrate health (animal health) using freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium lamarrei) as a representative of edible aquatic organisms. This is a study on the food safety aspects of Macrobrachium lamarrei, which is appreciated as a food item in different countries of the continent of Asia.