Heavy Metal Contamination in Water, Sediment, and Fish from Lake Tinike, Eastern Ethiopia: Ecological and Public Health Implications

Heavy Metal Contamination in Water, Sediment, and Fish from Lake Tinike, Eastern Ethiopia: Ecological and Public Health Implications | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Heavy Metal Contamination in Water, Sediment, and Fish from Lake Tinike, Eastern Ethiopia: Ecological and Public Health Implications Yaecob Gebre, Sewnet Mengistu, Sissay Menkir, Endale Teju, Mohammed Kasso Geda This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7668199/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A study was conducted to assess concentrations of selected heavy metals in water, sediment, and fish, and to determine the physicochemical parameters of water and sediment from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons. A laboratory-based cross-sectional study was carried out between January and June 2017, with samples collected from three purposively selected sites. Heavy metals were analyzed using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), while temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and conductivity were measured. The mean concentrations of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn) in water were 0.96±0.02, 0.05±0.003, 0.13±0.07, and 1.00±0.01 mg/L, respectively; in sediments, 2.00±0.041, 0.80±0.008, 1.70±0.10, and 1.22±0.10 mg/kg; and in fish, 2.78±0.034, 0.07±0.001, 1.72±0.02, and 3.46±0.08 mg/kg. Fish samples showed the highest levels of Cu, Pb, and Mn compared to sediments and water, which recorded medium and lowest concentrations, respectively. Cd, Pb, and Mn in water exceeded the maximum permissible limits for drinking water, while Cu, Cd, and Mn in sediments were above permissible levels except for Pb. In fish, Cu and Pb exceeded permissible limits, whereas Cd and Mn remained within acceptable ranges. Overall, most heavy metal concentrations in Lake Tinike samples were above international safety standards, posing potential ecological risks and significant public health concerns for surrounding communities that rely on the lake for water and fish consumption. Therefore, continuous monitoring, strict regulation of pollutant discharges, and public awareness initiatives are strongly recommended to safeguard both environmental and human health in the region. fish heavy metals Lake Tinike sediment water Figures Figure 1 Full Text Additional Declarations Tables 1 to 5 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Supplementary Files Tables.pdf Table Legend Table 1 Physico-chemical properties in water samples collected from Lake Tinike at dry and wet seasons Means ± SD (Standard Deviation) Table 2 Mean ± SD of chemical parameters in sediment samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons Table 3 Heavy metal concentration in Mean ± SD in water samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons Table 4 Heavy metal concentration in Mean ± SD in sediment samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons Table 5 Heavy metal concentration in Mean ± SD in fish samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7668199","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":518942090,"identity":"6d6cf972-b261-4144-aea0-f749c9888254","order_by":0,"name":"Yaecob Gebre","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Haramaya University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yaecob","middleName":"","lastName":"Gebre","suffix":""},{"id":518942091,"identity":"a6ba7d85-3003-4b7e-bf13-1365b6105f4c","order_by":1,"name":"Sewnet Mengistu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Haramaya 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1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":210441,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe map of study area of Lake Tinik, Haramaya Woreda in Eastern Hararghe Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Mapofthestudyarea.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7668199/v1/ddf5ffb8d7b8381094385ee8.png"},{"id":92965081,"identity":"1fce4122-8b39-4747-8145-ed62d48dad2d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-07 15:38:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":503766,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Mainbodymanuscipt.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7668199/v1_covered_01cfeaf4-2b55-4f53-8a9f-8bfe12f49a7d.pdf"},{"id":92743569,"identity":"fd81a0ee-350b-4119-9dfe-dc1b1f5ddd38","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-03 18:27:27","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":327869,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTable Legend\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 1 Physico-chemical properties in water samples collected from Lake Tinike at dry and wet seasons Means ± SD (Standard Deviation)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 2 Mean ± SD of chemical parameters in sediment samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3 Heavy metal concentration in Mean ± SD in water samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 4 Heavy metal concentration in Mean ± SD in sediment samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 5 Heavy metal concentration in Mean ± SD in fish samples collected from Lake Tinike during dry and wet seasons\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Tables.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7668199/v1/9207ae2b3b7c4051fa510645.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eTables 1 to 5 are available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e","formattedTitle":"Heavy Metal Contamination in Water, Sediment, and Fish from Lake Tinike, Eastern Ethiopia: Ecological and Public Health 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