Heavy metal pollution in water, sediment, and Asian clam, Corbicul fluminea, in three different regions of the Euphrates River

The Euphrates River, a vital waterway in the Middle East, faces numerous environmental threats. The Asian clam, Corbicula flaminea, is an invasive bivalve species native to Southeast Asia, known for its rapid growth and limited lifespan. This study aimed to estimate the heavy metal pollution of Manganese, Nickel, Strontium, Vanadium, Cadmium, Lead, Iron, and Copper using C. flaminea, sediments, and water samples collected from three different regions along the Euphrates River in the two seasons of winter and summer seasons. The results showed that the sediment (493.82±12.08) had the greatest mean Mn content, followed by Mollusca (104.915±33.215) and water (147.6±78.4). Similarly, sediment had the greatest mean Ni content (104.565±24.335), followed by mollusks (32.29±5.91) and water (19.8±3.6). With the highest amount found in water samples (1338.5±121.5), Sr revealed the greatest variances across the three sample types, followed by Mollusca (296.785±148.215) and sediments (227.795±27.105). The sediment also contained a significant amount of V (32.655±7.245). The samples from Al-Fadhli showed higher concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Sr in the winter and higher concentrations of other heavy metals, Mn, V, and Fe, in the summer.