LEAD CONTAMINATION STATUS IN ABIOTIC COMPONENTS AND HUMAN HAIR AROUND BIDHYADHARI ESTUARY OF INDIAN SUNDARBAN DELTA

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is found to be present in different abiotic components and human hair at all the stations from S1 to S5 around Bidyadhari river and its value ranged from 1.02 - 6.22 µg/gm. Concentration of Pb decreased in stations away from that river and seemed as less contaminated stations. The concentration of Pb is found to be about 25 times and 45 times more than the tolerance limit in surface water and tube well water respectively. Human hairs contained more concentration of Pb than that in water. Average concentration of Pb in human hairs was 2.78 and 3.73 µg/gm in less polluted station (S5) and more polluted stations (S1 to S4) respectively indicating biomagnification of Pb in man. Tube well water appears to be more polluted than the river water and supposed to be a major threat of Pb pollution in the Bidyadhari estuary, West Bengal, India.

Keywords

• Lead
• Water
• Sediment
• Human hair
• Bidyadhari estuary
• Sundarban