Concentrations of some heavy metals in water, suspended solids, and biota species from Maluan Bay, China and their environmental significance.

Concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in surface water (including total recoverable, dissolved, suspended solids) and in aufwuchs encrusted on Moerella iridescens Benson from seven selected sites and two reference sites in Maluan Bay were investigated in order to understand current metal contamination due to industrialization and urbanization in Xiamen, China. The muscle tissues of the study species (Penceus penicillatus, Scylla serrata Forskal, Harengula zunasi Bleeker, Tillapia nilotica) from a trawling area within Maluan Bay were also analyzed in order to evaluate its safety as seafood. Based on the obtained data, metal concentrations in surface water were compared with Marine Seawater Quality Standards of China and the US EPA acute and chronic criteria, which showed that Maluan Bay may be subjected to different levels of contamination by the metals. Metal concentrations under study in the edible parts (muscle) of the investigated biota species were within the safety permissible levels for human consumption. Through Pearson's correlation analysis, the relationships between metal concentrations in surface water and in M. iridescens were evaluated. Copper concentrations in M. iridescens were more strongly positively correlated with particulate copper in suspended solids and total recoverable copper in water rather than with dissolved copper at the sampling sites. The data suggested that copper-rich suspended solids contributed substantially to copper accumulation by M. iridescens and played a critical role in the pathway of copper into the food chain. The conclusions of this investigation are likely to be applicable to other relevant scenarios.