An Investigation of Mine-Derived Metals in the Context of Sustainable Technology

Abstract

Mining industry remains one of the top sources of various array of wastes with respect to their makeup and extent of contamination by heavy metals.

The aim of this investigation was to assess the build-up of heavy metals in the liver, kidney and muscles of N. berneyi and N. ater, while only muscles for O. niloticus. These three fish species were collected from Bige dredging site off the Ok Tedi River in Papua New Guinea.

The tissue samples were analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) at National Measurement Institute in Sydney, Australia.

The order of accumulation bymuscles ofO.niloticus and tissues (kidney, liver and flesh) of N. berneyi were in the following sequence; Zn greater than Cu greater than Pb greater than Cd (Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd). Flesh and liver of N. ater accumulated in the same order but was slightly different in kidney, that is, Zn greater than Cu greater than Cd greater than Pb (Zn>Cu>Cd>Pb). The order of accumulation by tissues were liver>kidney> flesh.

The tissue metal concentrations of this study were compared with Ok Tedi’smonitoring data,Australian Market Basket, the United States Total Diet Studies, the local Fly and Strickland Rivers Market Basket Study, and the Porgera-Lagaip-Strickland-Lake Murray (PLSML) study.