ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS POLLUTION IN EDIBLE BIVALVES (PERNA VIRIDIS) AND SEDIMENT FROM PICHAVARAM MANGROVE FOREST AND VELLAR ESTUARY SOUTHEAST COAST OF INDIAMANIVANNAN NATARAJAN, MANIGANDAN VAJIRAVELU AND SARAVANAKUMAR AYYAPPANAbstract The present survey aimed to study on heavy metal contamination in collected surface sediment samples and Perna viridis from Pichavaram and Vellar estuary. The mollusks are generally filter feeding organism and live in the benthic habitat, while feeding on the bottom chemicals and metals might also accumulate in their organs such as gills, foot and mantle. The edible bivalves can be used for biomonitoring since it is consumed by local people. This study analyzed the following metals from both station such as Aluminum (Al), Manganese (Mn), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), were examined in animal and sediment. The study was conducted for four seasons (Summer, Pre-monsoon, Monsoon and Post-monsoon) for the year of 2017. Among all the metal Al was showing higher and the lower was Zn in both sediment and bivalves. All metals were observed and their value ranged from tissue and sediment foolowed by Al (892.09 to 10751 μg/g), Mg (1589.25 to 4532 μg/g), Mn (119.4 to 246.63 μg/g), Zn (4.98 to 53.01 μg/g. The study concluded that Vellar estuary exhibited highly contaminated zone than the Pichavaram mangrove and it might be various drainage from the land, development of aquaculture, agriculture and industrial from the coastal area. In general, all the heavy metals were less than the permissible level according to WHO/EPA. |