Abstract:
The concentration of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, As, Cu, Pb, Cr
, and Zn) in the water,
sediment and fish (
Mugil cephalus
) were investigated from different sites on Köyceğiz
Lagoon System. Potential ecological risk analysis of heavy metal concentrations in
sediments underlined considerable ecological risk for two sites of the lagoon during
winter and spring. The ratio of tra
nsfer factors of Hg, Cr, Cu, Zn, and As in fish from
water was higher than 1, which means that fish undergo bioaccumulation of these
elements from lagoon water. The determination of individual Target Hazard Quotients
(THQs) in fish tissue indicated safe le
vels for the local people, but there is a possible risk
in terms of total
THQ
because the highest
THQ
value of As suggests that they may
experience a certain degree of adverse health effect.
Keywords
: Bioaccumulation, Ecological risk,
Health risk,
Köyceğiz,
Target hazard quotients.
