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Bioaccumulation of trace elements in the hard clam, Meretrix lyrata, reared downstream of a developing megacity, the Saigon-Dongnai River Estuary, Vietnam

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Abstract

A large number of white hard clam farms are in the estuary shoreline of Saigon-Dongnai Rivers, which flow through Ho Chi Minh City, a megacity, and numerous industrial zones in the basin catchment area. In this study, eleven trace elements (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in the hard clam Meretrix lyrata and its habitats including surface water, suspended particulate matter, and sediment were evaluated to understand the bioaccumulation of trace metals from the environment into the whole tissues of the hard clam as well as its different organs. The samples were collected monthly in dry, transition, and wet seasons of the southern part of Vietnam from March to September 2016. The results showed that seasonal and spatial variations of the studied metal concentrations in the hard clam M. lyrata might be influenced by the sea current as well as the surface runoff in the rainy season. The relationship between condition index and the element concentrations in M. lyrata might be affected by the living environment conditions and farming methods. In addition, the hazard index values of all trace elements in the hard clam M. lyrata harvested in the sampling time show that the hard clams farmed in the study area were safe for local consumers.

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Acknowledgments

Authors appreciate the financial supports by the UNU & GIST Joint Program from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and VNU-HCM under Grant No. B2016-20-05. The authors also thank the research assistants from the laboratories of CARE, VITTEP, and Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources for the analysis and sampling.

Funding

The major financial support is given by the UNU & GIST Joint Program from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and VNU-HCM under Grant No. B2016-20-05.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vietnam Institute for Tropical Technology and Environmental Protection (VITTEP), 57A Truong Quoc Dung St., Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Viet Tuan Tran

  2. Centre Asiatique de Recherche sur l’Eau (CARE), Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Viet Tuan Tran, Phuoc-Dan Nguyen & Emilie Strady

  3. Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, IGE, F-38000, Grenoble, France

    Phuoc-Dan Nguyen

  4. Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Emilie Strady

  5. Aix-Marseille University, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Université de Toulon, CNRS/IRD, Marseille, France

    Emilie Strady

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  1. Viet Tuan Tran
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Tran, V.T., Nguyen, PD. & Strady, E. Bioaccumulation of trace elements in the hard clam, Meretrix lyrata, reared downstream of a developing megacity, the Saigon-Dongnai River Estuary, Vietnam. Environ Monit Assess 192, 566 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08502-z

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