PV Online Report : Due to the unplanned construction of shipbreaking yards and adjacent industries in the coastal areas, health risks are increasing in the surrounding coastal areas including the sea. Sediment (naturally occurring material) and marine fish have been tested for the presence of various metals. Recently, this information emerged in a study published in the journal “Environmental Pollution” of Elsevier, a medical and scientific publishing company based in the Netherlands.
The research was led by Nazrul Islam, associate professor of applied chemistry and chemical engineering department of Chittagong University. In this research journal called ‘Effect of shipbreaking on spatiotemporal dynamics of metal/loy in sediment and sea-food safety in the Bay of Bengal’, 172 sea-foods of 6 marine species and sediments from different marine areas were examined. Sea-foods include halibut, hilsa, crab, eider, shrimp and koi bola fish. Research shows that the pollution level is very low in the coastal Barguna where there are no industries.
On the other hand, areas where there are shipbreaking yards and industrial plants have comparatively higher levels of pollution. Lead, cadmium, copper, zinc and other types of metals have been found in the sediment and sea-food of these areas. Especially during the monsoon season, the content of these metals is high in crabs and crabs.
Apart from this, the existence of heavy metals was also found in eel fish and shrimps in lab tests. This study lasted for about three years from 2018 to 2020. The researchers collected these samples during the dry and monsoon seasons. Which was later tested at the QAEHS laboratory of the University of Queensland, Australia.
Edited By-SPT
