Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria

The interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons in Nigeria are vital ecosystems supporting fish cage culture, but they may be at risk of toxic element contamination, posing threats to aquatic life and human health. This study conducted a preliminary ecological risk evaluation, focusing on arsenic, boron...

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Main Authors: Oluwadamilola Ruth Ajiboye, Aderonke Omolara Lawal-Are, Amii Isaac Obiakara-Amaechi, Rasheed Olatunji Moruf
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Prensip Publishing 2025-02-01
Series:Acta Natura et Scientia
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Online Access:https://prensipjournals.com/ojs/index.php/actanatsci/article/view/322
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author Oluwadamilola Ruth Ajiboye
Aderonke Omolara Lawal-Are
Amii Isaac Obiakara-Amaechi
Rasheed Olatunji Moruf
author_facet Oluwadamilola Ruth Ajiboye
Aderonke Omolara Lawal-Are
Amii Isaac Obiakara-Amaechi
Rasheed Olatunji Moruf
author_sort Oluwadamilola Ruth Ajiboye
collection DOAJ
description The interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons in Nigeria are vital ecosystems supporting fish cage culture, but they may be at risk of toxic element contamination, posing threats to aquatic life and human health. This study conducted a preliminary ecological risk evaluation, focusing on arsenic, boron, selenium, silicon, and sulfur concentrations in water, sediment, and Heteroclarias tissues using standard analytical methods. Contamination levels and ecological risks were assessed using contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo). Sediment consistently showed the highest concentrations of all analyzed elements, with arsenic levels in Badagry Lagoon (0.4426 ± 0.0731 mg kg⁻¹) exceeding those in water and fish tissues, and a sediment-dominant pattern was observed for boron, selenium, silicon, and sulfur. Arsenic bioaccumulation factors in Heteroclarias from Epe Lagoon were significantly high (62.29 ± 0.36 for water and 1.26 ± 0.73 for sediment), while EF values for arsenic were highest in Badagry Lagoon (29.80), and selenium showed the highest EF in Epe Lagoon (224.64). Despite negative Igeo values indicating no significant sediment contamination, elevated arsenic concentrations and bioaccumulation in fish tissues raise potential health concerns for aquatic life and human consumers, emphasizing the need for regular monitoring and management strategies to mitigate toxic element contamination in the Lagos Lagoon system.
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spelling doaj-art-19cac5b0efbe488889e799b58ec2d0602025-08-20T03:07:32ZengPrensip PublishingActa Natura et Scientia2718-06382025-02-016110.61326/actanatsci.v6i1.322322Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, NigeriaOluwadamilola Ruth Ajiboye0Aderonke Omolara Lawal-Are1Amii Isaac Obiakara-Amaechi2Rasheed Olatunji Moruf3University of Lagos, Faculty of Science, Department of Marine Sciences, Lagos State, NigeriaUniversity of Lagos, Faculty of Science, Department of Marine Sciences, Lagos State, NigeriaUniversity of Lagos, Faculty of Science, Department of Marine Sciences, Lagos State, NigeriaDepartment of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano, The interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons in Nigeria are vital ecosystems supporting fish cage culture, but they may be at risk of toxic element contamination, posing threats to aquatic life and human health. This study conducted a preliminary ecological risk evaluation, focusing on arsenic, boron, selenium, silicon, and sulfur concentrations in water, sediment, and Heteroclarias tissues using standard analytical methods. Contamination levels and ecological risks were assessed using contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo). Sediment consistently showed the highest concentrations of all analyzed elements, with arsenic levels in Badagry Lagoon (0.4426 ± 0.0731 mg kg⁻¹) exceeding those in water and fish tissues, and a sediment-dominant pattern was observed for boron, selenium, silicon, and sulfur. Arsenic bioaccumulation factors in Heteroclarias from Epe Lagoon were significantly high (62.29 ± 0.36 for water and 1.26 ± 0.73 for sediment), while EF values for arsenic were highest in Badagry Lagoon (29.80), and selenium showed the highest EF in Epe Lagoon (224.64). Despite negative Igeo values indicating no significant sediment contamination, elevated arsenic concentrations and bioaccumulation in fish tissues raise potential health concerns for aquatic life and human consumers, emphasizing the need for regular monitoring and management strategies to mitigate toxic element contamination in the Lagos Lagoon system. https://prensipjournals.com/ojs/index.php/actanatsci/article/view/322Aquatic ecosystemsBioaccumulationCage cultureContaminationFish
spellingShingle Oluwadamilola Ruth Ajiboye
Aderonke Omolara Lawal-Are
Amii Isaac Obiakara-Amaechi
Rasheed Olatunji Moruf
Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria
Acta Natura et Scientia
Aquatic ecosystems
Bioaccumulation
Cage culture
Contamination
Fish
title Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria
title_full Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria
title_fullStr Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria
title_short Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Elements in Fish Cage Culture Sites within the Interconnected Epe and Badagry Lagoons, Nigeria
title_sort preliminary ecological risk assessment of toxic elements in fish cage culture sites within the interconnected epe and badagry lagoons nigeria
topic Aquatic ecosystems
Bioaccumulation
Cage culture
Contamination
Fish
url https://prensipjournals.com/ojs/index.php/actanatsci/article/view/322
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