Heavy metal contamination near industrial estate areas in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand and human health risk assessment

Abstract

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Industrial activity is one of the significant sources of environmental contamination with heavy metals, especially in developing countries. Flood can also lead to the distribution of toxic substances into the environment, regarding the Thailand flood in 2011 as some industrial estates are affected, leading to concern about heavy metals from industrial wastewater contamination. We aimed to measure the levels of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Zn in river and stream water, sediment, and fish collected from the area around the industrial estates in Uthai District and Bangpa-in District of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, following the floods of 2011. The results revealed that heavy metal levels in water did not exceed Thailand surface water quality standards, except for Mn levels at one sampling site. Metal levels in sediment and fish samples also did not exceed published standards. The hazard quotient for fish consumption was highest for Ni (0.2178) in Trichopodus trichopterus collected from the area near the industrial estate in Bangpa-in District, while the hazard index from Cd, Cr, and Cu exposure were 0.86966, which was lower than 1, indicating that the health risks for these seven metals were within acceptable ranges.