| dc.description.abstract | The mangrove coastal waters of Serdang Bedagai Regency, North Sumatra, are characterized by their high biodiversity, serving as habitats for various species, including the economically valuable bivalve Polymesoda erosa. This species inhabits muddy substrates and functions as a filter feeder, making it sensitive to environmental pollution and can act as a potential bioindicator of water quality. This study aims to analyze the concentrations of heavy metals, specifically lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), in the tissues of Polymesoda erosa, as well as in sediment and water samples from the mangrove coastal waters of Serdang Bedagai. Sampling was conducted using purposive sampling at three stations with varying levels of human activity: Station 1 (boat transit area), Station 2 (tourism area), and Station 3 (area with minimal human activity). The results indicate that each station exhibits different concentrations of heavy metals, which is the lead levels consistently higher than the cadmium across all samples. The highest concentrations of heavy metals are found at Station 1, follow by Station 2, and the lowest is found at Station 3. These findings suggest that human activities, particularly navigation and tourism, contribute to increasing the heavy metal concentrations in the aquatic environment. Nonetheless, the detected levels of Pb and Cd remain below the maximum permissible limits established by Per-BPOM No. 29 of 2021, ANZECC and ARMCANZ (2000), and Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021, indicating that the Polymesoda erosa tissues and the surrounding aquatic environment are considered safe and not significantly polluted. | en_US |
