Beryllium in riverine/estuarine sediments from a typical aquaculture wetland, China: Bioavailability and probabilistic ecological risk

Beryllium (Be) is of a significant concern because of its mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. However, reports on presences of Be in sediments from aquaculture areas still remain unknown. This study investigated the total concentration and bioavailability of Be in the surface sediments from Rongjiang River and its estuary in a large-scale aquaculture wetland in Chaoshan metropolis, South China; together with its probabilistic ecological risks posed to aquatic organisms. The total and bioavailable concentrations of Be were in the range of 5.11–8.02 and 0.23–0.33 mg/kg, respectively. Total concentration of Be mainly originated from anthropogenic source and bioavailable Be was