Heavy Metals in Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Danube River Sediments

Abstract

Actual study is focused on assessment of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, chromium, nickel, and zinc) concentration from Danube river sediment and aquatic macroinvertebrates. The sampling point is located along the Danube river. Ecosystem characteristics and anthropogenic influences located in the area were taken into consideration when selecting the sites. We sampled both sediment and macroinvertebrates in a single occasion, in May 2018. In the sediments of the studied Danube sectors, maximum allowed values were exceeded for cadmium and nickel. It was also found that the highest concentrations of nickel in the sediment are located downstream of the urban agglomerations and industrial ports on the two banks of the Danube. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) was used in order to evaluate the transfer and accumulation of the analysed heavy metals in aquatic macroinvertebrates. The overall analysis of the BCF’s revealed no common pattern regarding the transfer of heavy metals between different macroinvertebrate groups and riverine sediments.

Keywords

• heavy metals
• Danube river
• aquatic macroinvertebrates