The objective of this study was to assess the physicochemical characteristics of water and the contamination levels of heavy metals (copper, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury) in sediment and fish species within Ghana's Densu River. Three sets of samples were collected from four designated locations along the river, and subsequent …
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The objective of this study was to assess the physicochemical characteristics of water and the contamination levels of heavy metals (copper, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury) in sediment and fish species within Ghana's Densu River. Three sets of samples were collected from four designated locations along the river, and subsequent laboratory analyses were conducted using standard protocols. The results showed that copper and zinc were the most prevalent trace metals in the sediment, with average concentrations of 6.68 mg/kg and 28.99 mg/kg during the rainy season, and 6.01 mg/kg and 30.02 mg/kg during the dry season, respectively. For water samples, mean copper and zinc concentrations were 0.11 mg/L and 2.98 mg/L during the wet season, and 0.07 mg/L and 0.4 mg/L during the dry season. The differences in mean concentrations of these major trace elements between the dry and rainy seasons were statistically significant (p < 0.05). In fish samples, the concentrations of copper and zinc were 0-0.17 mg/kg and 0-0.81 mg/kg, respectively, for Sarotherodon melanotheron (Blackchin tilapia), and 0.09 mg/kg and 0.56 mg/kg, respectively, for Coptodon zillii (Red belly tilapia). However, there was no substantial variation in the prominent trace metal levels between the two fish species (p > 0.05). The concentration of cadmium ranged from 0.050 mg/kg to 0.140 mg/kg during the wet season, with an average of 0.104 ± 0.005 mg/kg, and from 0.050 mg/kg to 0.150 mg/kg during the dry season, with an average of 0.103 ± 0.006 mg/kg (p > 0.05). Arsenic concentrations varied between 0.030 mg/kg and 0.090 mg/kg during the rainy season, and 0.056 ± 0.003 mg/kg throughout the dry season, without significant differences (p > 0.05). Mercury concentrations ranged from 0.003 mg/kg to 0.013 mg/kg during the wet season, with an average of 0.078 ± 0.001 mg/kg, and from 0.000 mg/kg to 0.009 mg/kg during the dry season, with an average of 0.005 ± 0.001 mg/kg, without significant variation (p > 0.05). Overall, zinc was the most abundant metal in the sediment, followed by copp
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