Distribution and ecological- and health-risk assessment of heavy metals in the seawater of the southeast coast of India

The objective of the present study was to conduct an ecological and health risk assessment of heavy metals in the seawater of the southeast coast of India. The distribution profile of heavy metals in the surface seawater was Fe (79.60 +/- 21.57 mu g/L) Zn (9.31 +/- 1.33 mu g/L) > Cu (5.19 +/- 2.00 mu g/L) > Ni (2.45 +/- 0.76 mu g/L) > Mn (1.20 +/- 1.00 mu g/L) > U (0.44 +/- 0.23 mu g/L) > Pb (0.36 +/- 0.06 mu g/L) > Cr (0.31 +/- 0.57 mu g/L) > Cd (0.11 +/- 0.05 mu g/L) > Co (0.07 +/- 0.20 mu g/L). Cu level for most of the samples exceeded the USEPA criteria for acute CMC (criterion maximum concentration) and chronic CCC (criterion continuous concentration). Other studied metals, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni, remained below the acute CMC and chronic CCC guidelines. The seawater pollution index (I-wp) of Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Pb complied with the category-I seawater (< 1, unpolluted). The ERI values (0.46-3.99) of the seawater of the studied coast mostly fell under the ecologically low risk category with respect to heavy metals. Dermal Hazard index values were orders of magnitude lower than one, indicating no potential health concern due to dermal exposure.