toxic metals’ accumulation and elemental characterization in mollusc and crustacean species’ shells found along the coastline of pakistan

Pakistan has the coastline of 990 km, rapid industrialization and economic growth have resulted in increased water pollution in the coastal areas. present study characterized natural and xenobiotic elements in the shells of molluscs and crustaceans found along the coastline of pakistan. the objective of this study was to highlight the scope of these shells to be used as bio-indicators or nutrient source, instead of getting waste after seasonal washed up along the coastline.these washed up shell were collected from 09 locations in year the 2023 and were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry. this study presented a comprehensive elemental and morphological analysis of the selected species’ shells, which hasn’t been reported earlier. the mass percentages of elements were compared by one-way anova, among species. results suggested that these shells can also be used as bio-indicator for those elements whose toxicity is usually ignored, such as al. silicon and aluminum showed similar trend among species in mass percentages i.e., mussel>crab>scallop>clam>shrimp. variation in levels of elements in natural shell composition may influence the attachment of xenobiotic metals. while, this study also reflected shells that could be used as a nutrient source. water ph was found to be an influencing factor on the solubility of elements. the morphological analysis of shells helped in understanding the transport of organic and inorganic materials between the body and shell.