Heavy metal distribution and bioaccumulation ability in marine organisms from coastal regions of Hainan and Zhoushan, China

In this study, we analyzed the distribution and bioaccumulation of six heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Hg) in marine organisms from China’s Hainan and Zhoushan coastal regions. Across all marine organism samples, as well as sediment and seawater samples, Zn and Hg ranked highest and lowest in concentration, respectively. Heavy metal distributions in the marine organisms varied by region and species; concentrations were higher (except for Zn) in Zhoushan than in Hainan and in crab than in fish. A marine organism’s ability to digest and eliminate heavy metals (bioaccumulation ability), based on bioaccumulation factors, was significantly higher for heavy metals in seawater than in sediment; higher sediment background values may explain the higher heavy metal concentrations in crab. In general, a marine organism’s bioaccumulation ability was higher for Cu and Zn and lower for Pb in China.