Department of Life Sciences Discusses Heavy Metals in Tigris River Water in a Scientific Seminar

The Department of Life Sciences at the College of Education for Pure Sciences – University of Samarra held a scientific seminar entitled “Identification of Some Heavy Metals Affecting the Quality of Tigris River Water and Their Impact on Aquatic Life”, presented by Assistant Professor Dr. Hisham Fadel Shakir.

The seminar aimed to clarify the pollution of natural aquatic systems with heavy metals and the abnormal effects they cause on ecological balance. These elements can enter biogeochemical cycles, increase in concentration, and accumulate in living organisms, thereby affecting aquatic biodiversity, especially animal life such as fish that inhabit these environments and cannot escape the effects of such pollutants.

The lecturer explained that fish are among the most important biological indicators for assessing the health of aquatic ecosystems, as they occupy the top of the food chain and have a high capacity to accumulate heavy metals from water, either through food or via the gills, which makes them directly vulnerable to the impacts of pollution.

The seminar concluded with a number of recommendations, most notably that water pollution with heavy metals is mainly due to various human activities, in addition to the discharge of domestic waste, mining activities, and the unregulated use of fertilizers and pesticides. The recommendations also emphasized the need to strengthen environmental monitoring and reduce sources of pollution by adopting effective measures to protect water resources and preserve the safety of aquatic life and public health.

Editing and Photography: Abdulsalam Muhannad

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