Date of Defense
7-4-2025 3:30 PM
Location
F1-2121
Document Type
Thesis Defense
Degree Name
Master of Science in Environmental Science
College
COS
First Advisor
Dr.Sabir Bin Muzaffar
Keywords
Heavy metal pollution, Blue Swimming crabs, Heavy metals level, Fish markets Dubai and Sharjah, Sex-specific variations.
Abstract
Growing urbanization and industrialization along the UAE's coastline exposes human health and marine life at risk of increasing heavy metal pollution in marine ecosystems. This study evaluated the levels of 19 essential and non-essential elements in blue swimming crabs (Portunus pelagicus) collected from fish markets in Dubai and Sharjah. Among these, potentially harmful heavy metals included arsenic (As), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). The main goals of the study were (i) to evaluate whether the concentrations of these metals exceeded maximum permissible limits and (ii) to investigate if there were male and female specific variations in metal accumulation. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure the concentrations of elements in crab tissues. Mean concentrations of As and Cu in male and female crabs were higher than the international food safety standards. Furthermore, the concentrations of Cd and Ni in female crabs were much higher maximum permissible limits. However, levels of mercury (Hg) in both sexes were detected to be below maximum permissible limits. Overall, while some metal concentrations exceeded safety thresholds, the total heavy metal burden across all samples was not considered toxic based on global health standards. This study highlights potential risks to the public's health for seafood consumers by providing valuable information on heavy metal contamination in blue swimming crabs from the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, research closes a significant knowledge gap on the sex-specific bioaccumulation patterns of certain potentially harmful elements in blue swimming crabs, suggesting that male and female crabs accumulate different heavy metals at different rates. This study provides insightful information that will be useful for regulating food safety, facilitate strategic environmental monitoring to detect potentially harmful elements, and help regulate industrial pollution into marine ecosystems.
ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATION IN BLUE SWIMMING CRABS FROM DUBAI AND SHARJAH FISH MARKETS IN UAE
F1-2121
Growing urbanization and industrialization along the UAE's coastline exposes human health and marine life at risk of increasing heavy metal pollution in marine ecosystems. This study evaluated the levels of 19 essential and non-essential elements in blue swimming crabs (Portunus pelagicus) collected from fish markets in Dubai and Sharjah. Among these, potentially harmful heavy metals included arsenic (As), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). The main goals of the study were (i) to evaluate whether the concentrations of these metals exceeded maximum permissible limits and (ii) to investigate if there were male and female specific variations in metal accumulation. Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure the concentrations of elements in crab tissues. Mean concentrations of As and Cu in male and female crabs were higher than the international food safety standards. Furthermore, the concentrations of Cd and Ni in female crabs were much higher maximum permissible limits. However, levels of mercury (Hg) in both sexes were detected to be below maximum permissible limits. Overall, while some metal concentrations exceeded safety thresholds, the total heavy metal burden across all samples was not considered toxic based on global health standards. This study highlights potential risks to the public's health for seafood consumers by providing valuable information on heavy metal contamination in blue swimming crabs from the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, research closes a significant knowledge gap on the sex-specific bioaccumulation patterns of certain potentially harmful elements in blue swimming crabs, suggesting that male and female crabs accumulate different heavy metals at different rates. This study provides insightful information that will be useful for regulating food safety, facilitate strategic environmental monitoring to detect potentially harmful elements, and help regulate industrial pollution into marine ecosystems.
