Assessing Heavy Metal Contamination in District Kasur, Pakistan, Using Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) as Bioindicators for Ecological and Food Safety Monitoring

Aims: This study aimed to assess the honey bee (Apis mellifera) as a bioindicator of heavy metal contamination in District Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan, for ecological monitoring and food safety. Materials & Methods: Fresh honey samples were collected from beehives during the summer season in the morning to minimize external metal contamination. Samples were collected from five sites representing different pollution levels, including a forest area located far from tanneries (Changa Manga Jungle, ۸۸ km from the control site and ۵۶ km from Kasur tanneries), a low-pollution area (Village Ganda Singh Border, ۷۵ km from the control site and ۱۶ km from Kasur tanneries), a slightly polluted area (Raiwind Road, ۴۲ km from the control site and ۱۵ km from Kasur tanneries), a moderately polluted area (Village Sehjra, ۸۴ km from the control site and ۲۷ km from Kasur tanneries), and a control site (Lahore Jallo Park, ۶۲ km from Kasur tanneries). We collected ۱۲ individual samples from each site, for a total of ۶۰ experimental samples. We used a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five treatments. Heavy metal concentrations were quantified in mg.kg⁻¹ using a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). Findings: Results showed that the highest Cu content was recorded in samples collected from Village Sehjra (۱۱.۴۶ mg.kg⁻¹); on the other hand, the lowest amount was determined in the forest area (۰.۰۹ mg.kg⁻¹). Fe expressed the highest contents overall, reaching ۱۵.۲۳ mg.kg⁻¹ in the control site (Jallo Park, Lahore), whereas higher amounts were also observed in Village Sehjra (۱۴.۱۲ mg.kg⁻¹). Somewhat, high Fe concentration at the control site may reflect background geological characteristics and urban environmental influences rather than direct industrial emissions. Conclusion: These findings highlight the impact of environmental pollution on heavy-metal bioaccumulation in honey. The results show that honey bees serve as a good bioindicator for assessing environmental quality and ensuring food safety.

کلیدواژه ها:

bioindicator ، Environmental monitoring ، Environmental pollution ، Heavy metals