Concentrations of heavy metals in water, sediment and mollusk gastropod, Lanistes carinatus from Lake Manzala, Egypt

The level of heavy metals (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) was detected and analyzed in the shell and soft tissue of gastropod Lanistes carinatus and in water and sediment from the southern part of Lake Manzala during summer 2017. Concentrations of heavy metals in water were lower than those in sediment, soft tissue or shell of gastropod. All detected heavy metal concentrations were higher in soft tissue than in shell. The biowater accumulation factor (BWAF) of these metals was high, suggesting a higher rate of heavy metal accumulation by this species in water. The biosediment accumulation factor (BSAF) of Pb in soft tissue was higher than 1, hence the usage of this species as a bio indicator for Pb pollution. There wasn't any significant direct relation between the metal content in water, sediment and in gastropod L. carinatus. Age, growth rate, feeding habits of organisms, hardness and pH of water and availability of metal, suggested to be effective factors in the bioaccumulation of metals. Although the concentration of Cd and Pb were higher in soft tissue than shell, coefficients of variance (CV%) in shell were higher than those in soft tissue; this reflects a long-term accumulation of Cd and Pb by shell of L. carinatus.