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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessment of Trace Element Levels in Water,
Sediment, and Some Dominant Benthic Fauna
of Tigris River within Baghdad City-Iraq
1
Middle Technical University, Medical Technical Institute of Baghdad, 10047, Baghdad, Iraq
2
LR/18/ES30 Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity and Environment, Department of Life Sciences, Sfax Faculty of
Sciences, University of Sfax, Soukra Road Km 3.5. BP 1171 – P.O. Box 3000 Sfax, Tunisia
3
Middle Technical University, Technical Institute of Baquba, Baquba, 32001, Diyala, Iraq
4
Middle Technical University, Technical Instructor Training Institute, 10074, Baghdad, Iraq
Submission date: 2025-01-06
Final revision date: 2025-04-20
Acceptance date: 2025-05-20
Online publication date: 2025-07-21
Corresponding author
Zaher Sadi Drira
Department of Life Sciences, LR18E530 Marine Biodiversity and Environment Laboratory, , Sfax Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, BP 1171, Soukra Road Km 3.5, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia
Department of Life Sciences, LR18E530 Marine Biodiversity and Environment Laboratory, , Sfax Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, BP 1171, Soukra Road Km 3.5, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The current study aims to evaluate concentrations of trace elements (Pb, Cd, Fe, Co, Mn, and Ni)
in collected water samples, particulate sediment, and benthic fauna at four stations along the Tigris
River in Baghdad, Iraq. Physa gyrina, Corbicula fluminea, and Oligochaetes are regarded as pollution
indicators, and their contents in trace elements are determined. Four sampling stations were selected
while considering the multiple sources of water pollution. The lowest trace element concentrations
were observed in the water compared to the sediment and particulate phases. Specifically, cadmium
levels in the dissolved water at stations 3 and 4 exceed the WHO limit attributable to the unrestricted
discharge of industrial effluent and sewage directly into aquatic systems. At the same time, Ni has the
lowest level among benthic species, while Pb and Fe have greater levels. Wastewater from neighboring
hospitals and the region’s power plant is responsible for the contamination with trace elements in water
(Mn, Pb, Co, Fe, and Cd) and sediment (Pb, Cd, and Mn). Furthermore, the biological sedimentation
factor (BSF) of trace elements in benthic organisms ranges between 0.2 and 59.14 in all organisms as
follows: Pb>Cd>Co>Ni>Fe>Mn. Oligochaetes have the greatest capacity to accumulate trace elements
compared to Physa gyrina and Corbicula fluminea. Interestingly, the study confirms high contamination
levels of trace elements at the sampled stations, notably Pb and Cd, which highlights the urgent need for
intervention to mitigate the sources of pollution on the banks of the Tigris River.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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