Heavy metal pollution assessment in marine sediments in the Northwest coast of Sabah,Malaysia

Heavy metal contents along the Northwest coast of Sabah were determined to interpret the pollution level in the marine sediment. The metal abundance is regulated by the physico-chemical properties such as the average sediment pH(7.82, 9.00 and 8.99), organic matter(0.62%, 1.60%, and 2.27%), moisture content(25.00%, 29.70%, and 15.00%) and sandy texture in Kota Belud, Kudat and Mantanani Island,respectively. The major elements show Ca>Fe>Mg>Al>Mn for all study sites, while the heavy metals show Ni>Cr>Zn>Cu>Co>Pb, Cr>Ni>Zn>Cu>Pb>Co and Zn>Pb>Cr>Ni, for Kota Belud, Kudat and Mantanani Island, respectively. The pollution degree of heavy metals was evaluated by using the Sediment Quality Assessment(SQA). The SQA parameters indicated none to moderate pollution in Kota Belud that shows Class 0, Class 1 and Class 2 pollution. The parameters also indicated none to low pollution in Kudat and Mantanani Island that show only Class 0 pollution. The enrichment factor(EF) suggested minor to moderately severe metal enrichment by anthropogenic sources in Kota Belud, whereas only minor enrichment in Kudat and Mantanani Island. The modified pollution degree(MCD<1.5) and pollution load index(0 PLI<1) indicating only low pollution level in the marine sediments for all study sites. The objectives of this study are:(1) to determine the physico-chemical parameters of sediments,(2) interpret the heavy metal contents and(3) evaluate the sediment quality.

Distribution,risk evaluation,and source analysis of the heavy metals in the sediment deposition of the lower Shichuanhe River,Shaanxi,China

In this study, 30 sediment samples were collected from the lower reaches of the Shichuanhe River in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, to test the distribution of heavy metal elements in this area and for an analysis of the pollution levels of this area, hope to provide guidance on agricultural production activities in this region. The results show that the heavy metal elements in this area are mainly concentrated at the Qinghe River and Shichuanhe River confluences. Furthermore, the element contents are higher than that of the background levels of the continental crust(UCC) and close to the background levels of the soil from Shaanxi Province;the two most enriched elements are Cd and As, with contents of 0.79 and 22.7 mg·kg-1, respectively, and their contents are 3.8 and 1.72 times higher than that of the background values. Herein, the heavy metal pollution assessment methods applied indicated that Cd and As are the two most abundant pollutant elements in the area’s soils. As has a peak geo-accumulation index value of 3, and the pollution level is high, while Cd exhibits high potential ecological risks due to its high toxicity(potential risk index of 143) and an active fraction of more than 64%.In addition, a principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis study showed that there are two sources of the heavy metals in this area. The Zn, As, Ni, Cu, Pb,and Cr are mainly from natural sources, and the Cd likely comes from a discharge of untreated agricultural wastewater in the region. The Cd which poses a high potential risk and mainly results from human activities, needs to be further monitored.

Distribution Characteristics and Controlling Factors of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments from the Bay-Island-Estuary System(BIES):A Case Study in Coastal Waters of Fujian Province,China

Based on the contents of six heavy metal elements in surface sediments from coastal areas of Fujian Province,the distribution characteristics and controlling factors of six heavy metals in a bay-island-estuary system(BIES)were studied.This paper focuses on the influence of the hydrodynamic environment,and systematically discusses how grain size compositions,chemical environment,tidal current,ocean circulation and human activities influence the distribution and transportation of the heavy metals.The results indicated that the distribution and migration of Cu,Pb,Zn and Cr elements were mainly controlled by natural factors such as regional geological background,grain size compositions,and tidal residual currents.In contrast,As and Hg was mainly affected by human factors such as agriculture and industrial manufacturing.In the BIES,where the chemical environment exerted limited influence,the accumulation and migration of heavy metals are mainly influenced by human activities and enhanced by estuary processes as well as the complex sedimentary dynamic environment caused by many bays and islands.

Distribution and their pollution assessment of heavy metals in the sediments of the Yalu River Estuary and its adjacent coastal waters

The present paper deals with the distribution patterns of heavy metals and the associated influenc- ing factors in the Yalu River Estuary and its adjacent coastal waters. Based upon the analysis of the surficial and core sediments measurements, the pollution of heavy metal and potentiM ecological risk were evaluated. The burial flux and contents of heavy metals （except for copper） have been continuously increasing since the 1920s. Therefore, the gross potential ecological risk for the sedi- ments was high or very high, and the study area was endangered by heavy metals contamination. Heavy metals originated mainly from upstream pollutant input, correlation analysis showed that chromium, nickel, zinc~ cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury in the sediments of the middle and west channels as well as the sea area of the western Yalu River Estuary concentrations were most probably derived from similar sources. In contrast, the metal of copper most probably originated from sources different from the other metals. Preliminary studies indicate that copper contamina- tion was most likely the result of emission from mining activities situated at the upstream of the river. The contents of heavy metals in the sediments of estuarine turbidity maximum zone of Yalu River were larger than those of any other areas in the middle channel. With large portion of fine sediments, weaker hydrodynamics, and richer sources of heavy metals, the sediments of the west channel, were even more enriched with heavy metals than those of the middle channel.

Assessment of Heavy Metals Pollution in the Sediments of Euphrates River, Iraq

Fourteen bed sediments samples were collected from the Euphrates River in order to determine concentrations, seasonal, spatial and contamination assessment of heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn and Cr. The mean concentrations are as follows: 2249.47 mg/kg for Fe, 228.18 mg/kg for Mn, 67.08 mg/kg for Ni, 58.4 mg/kg for Cr, 48.00 mg/kg for Zn, 28.16 mg/kg for Co, 22.56 mg/kg for Pb, 18.91 mg/kg for Cu and 1.87 mg/kg for Cd. To assess metal contamination in sediments, sediment quality guidelines were applied. The mean concentration of Cd, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Cr exceeded the USEPA guideline. The metal contamination in the sediments was also evaluated by appling enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and pollution load index (PLI). Based on enrichment factor (EF), the Euphrates River sediments have very high enrichment for Pb, extremely high for Cd, moderate for Zn, significant to very high for Ni, very high to extremely high for Co, moderate to significant for Mn and significant to very high for Cr. According to contamination factor (CF), Cd and Cr are responsible for very high contamination. According to Igeo, the Euphrates River sediments are moderately to strongly polluted by Cd. Based on PLI, all sampling sites suggest no overall pollution of site quality.

Fractionation of heavy metals in shallow marine sediments from Jinzhou Bay,China

This work investigated the distribution and speciation of Cd, Cu, Pb, Fe and Mn in the shallow sediments of Jinzhou Bay, Northeast China, which has been heavily contaminated by nonferrous smelting activities. The concentrations of Cd, Cu and Pb in sediments were found to be 100, 13 and 7 times, respectively, being higher than the national guideline （GB 18668-2002）. Sequential extraction test showed that 39%-61% of Cd were exchangeable fractions, indicating that Cd in the sediments posed a high risk to local environments. While Cu and Pb were at moderate risk levels. According to the relationships between percentage of metal speciation and total metal concentration, it was concluded that the distributions of Cd, Cu and Pb in some geochemical fractions were dynamic in the process of pollutants migration and the stability of metals in sediments of Jinzhou Bay decreased in the order of Pb 〉 Cu 〉 Cd.

Heavy metals partitioning in the sediments of Izmir Inner Bay

Izmir Bay is known to be polluted by high concentrations of heavy metals and organic pollutants. Sediment samples taken from 7 different stations in Izmir Inner Bay were analyzed for their total organic matter content and, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn. In addition, the chemical distribution of the metals were determined by means of the BCR （Community Bureau of Reference） Extraction Procedure （developed by European Commission for Standards, Measurement and Testing） which allows the determination of metals bound as four fractions; exchangeable and acid soluble, reducible （bound to iron-manganese oxides）, oxidizable （bound to organics） and residual. The results show that Izmir Inner Bay contains sediments with high metal concentrations. According to the chemical distribution of metals, Cr and Cu tend to accumulate mostly on the organic fraction of the sediment. Pb is mostly found in the reducible fraction where Zn is mobile in the sediment, and it is distributed evenly on each fraction.

THE RESEARCH ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND FORMS OF HEAVY METALS IN THE XIANGJIANG RIVER SEDIMENTS

In this paper, the contents and various forms of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb in the sediments of the Xiangjiang River have been investigated. The presentation of this paper focuses on the various forms and characteristics of the heavy metals in the column sediments at Xiawan Port of Zhuzhou, which has been severely polluted by a metallurgical plant.The forms of the heavy metals discussed in this paper are: The concentration of the exchangeable forms of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb, in the forms of carbonates and Fe/ Mn oxide in water, the combination of Cu with organic matter and form, and the proportion of the residue form at each section have been studied.

Heavy Metal Pollution and Ecological Risk Assessment in Sediments of Xiling Channel Inland Waterway of Guangdong Province

Using the sediment monitoring data of five sections of the Xiling Channel inland waterway of the Pearl River Delta,and using Nemerow composite index,the coefficient of variation,and the index of geoaccumulation( Igeo) and the potential ecological risk index,this paper analyzed and assessed the heavy metal pollution of sediments. The results indicate that Cr reached mild pollution;Cu had a large degree of variation,and the changes of Cr and Zn were significant with fluctuation;the enrichment of heavy metals decreased as follows: Cd > Cu > Cr > Zn> Pb > Ni > Hg > As;Cd had the highest degree of enrichment and belonged to moderate pollution;the ecological hazard of heavy metals was Cd > Hg > Cu > Pb > As > Cr > Ni > Zn,and Cd had the highest ecological hazard and was the main controlling factor of potential ecological risk. In conclusion,the sediments in Xiling Channel inland waterway were polluted by heavy metals to some extent,and cadmium was the main pollutant and had the largest potential ecological risk.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Estuarine Surface Sediments of Tangxi River in Chaohu Lake Basin

A total of 30 surface sediments samples from the estuary wetland of the Tangxi River, Chaohu Lake Basin were obtained and tested.Enrichment factor(EF) and geoaccumulation index(I geo ) as well as multivariate statistical analysis methods including Factor Analysis(FA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis(HCA) were applied for the assessment of heavy metal pollution in surface sediments.The results of EF values show that the pollution of copper(Cu) and cadmium(Cd) occurs in the estuarine sediments, and that zinc(Zn), lead(Pb) and chrome(Cr) may originate from crustal materials or natural weathering process.The mean EF values of the five heavy metals are in the decreasing order:Cu>Cd>Zn>Pb>Cr.Based on the I geo of target heavy metals, the surface sediments collected from the study area can be approximately categorized as unpolluted with Zn, Pb and Cr, and moderately polluted with Cu and Cd.The degree of heavy metal pollution decreases in the order of Cu>Cd>Zn>Pb>Cr.Three groups of pollution factors are presented from FA:Zn-TOC, Cu-Cd and Cr-Pb, which respectively accounte for 27.22%, 25.20% and 21.05% of variance.By means of HCA, a total number of seven groups are distinguished from 30 sampling sites.Results indicate that Cu and Cd are the prior controlled pollutants in the estuarine sediments of the Tangxi River.

Application of Pollution Indices in the Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination of Surface Sediments of River Bonsa, Ghana

Heavy metal contamination of sediments is a major risk to ecological systems and human health. Not only do sediments influence the quality of the water column, but can be transferred to micro biota and fishes, ultimately ending up at higher trophic levels in the food chain though biomagnification. This study was carried out to assess the contamination levels of heavy metals in the sediments of river Bonsa. Ten sediment samples were taken along the river and analyzed for Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), and Nickel (Ni) using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Data analysis was accomplished by comparing the measured heavy metal concentrations to Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fresh water sediment quality guidelines and by the computation of geo-accumulation indices and enrichment factors. The results show that apart from Ni which had two of its sample concentrations (at BS1 21.167 mg/kg and at BS2 29.374 mg/kg) exceeding the ANZECC lower limit (21 mg/kg) guideline for fresh water sediment, all other heavy metals recorded concentrations below the lower limits of their respective ANZECC standards. Out of the 10 samples analyzed, 7 recorded Mn concentrations above the NOAA ARC TEL. A one-sample t-test also showed that the mean concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni, and Cr were significantly lower than their respective ANZECC threshold values and Fe concentration was also significantly lower than the NOAA threshold;however, there was no significant difference between Mn mean value and the corresponding NOAA guideline value. The assessment of heavy metal pollution was derived using the Enrichment Factor (EF) and geo-accumulation indices (I-geo). The computed enrichment factors indicated that all the heavy metals except Ni are from natural sources (i.e., EF < 1.5) signifying a degree of heavy metal depletion rather than enrichment. The sources of Ni were attributed to domestic waste disposal into the river at sampling points BS1 and BS2 as well as run offs from a nearby auto mechanic workshop. All the metals had I-geo values between 0 and 1 (0 < I-geo < 1) denoting unpolluted to moderately polluted sediments. Thus, in terms of heavy metals, the river is unpolluted. These findings are very important as it shows that river Bonsa has not yet been impacted as far as heavy metals are concerned and the data gathered may serve as baseline for future studies.

HEAVY METAL POLLUTION IN SURFACE SEDIMENTS COLLECTED FROM DRAINAGES RECEIVING DIFFERENT ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCES FROM PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Surface drainage sediments were collected, between January and April in 2005, from 6 sampling sites in Peninsular Malaysia suspected to have received different anthropogenic sources. These drainages included sites near a petrochemical plant, an electronic factory, a metal factory and 2 townships in addition to a relatively unpolluted site (a reference site). Based on the aqua-regia method, the metal concentrations for all the sampling sites except for the agricultural site (reference site) at Sg. Benut were between 60.92-1 019 μg/g dry weight for copper (Cu), 65.32-1 266.6μg/g dry weight for plumbum (Pb), 1.46-15.93 μg/g dry weight for cadmium (Cd), 330.10-484.14 μg/g dry weight for zinc (Zn) and 47.03-120.90 μg/g dry weight for nickel (Ni). All of these ranges were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than those (Cu: 8.77 μg/g; Pb: 57.42 μg/g; Cd: 0.96 μg/g; Zn: 68.21 μg/g; and Ni: 17.87 μg/g) of the reference site at Sg. Benut that only received agricultural disposal. The concentrations for the 5 metals from all the sites (except for the reference site) were higher than the Sediment Quality Values for Hong Kong by Chapman et al (1999) for the 5 metals. Based on the sequential extraction technique, 3 geochemical fractions [easily, freely leachable and exchangeable (EFLE), acid-reducible and oxidisable-organic] were also useful in identifying these polluted sites. The elevated metal concentrations found in the sediments might be related to point sources of industrial effluent and urban waste. Hence, the results emphasized the necessity for the treatment of effluents into this drainage area. As part of the effort to control illegal discharges and dumping into drainages, public awareness should be enhanced.

Distribution of Heavy Metals and Rare Earth Elements in the Surface Sediments of Penang River Estuary, Malaysia

Geochemical sediment of the tropical Pinang River, Malaysia was carried out with the aim at documenting elemental concentrations and pollution level assessment. Concentration of selected heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn and Mn), rare earth elements, TOC and grain size distribution of sediments were determined at 100 m sampling interval along the river. Sediment size showed a positive correlation with ∑REE and Mn and medium correlations with TOC, Zn, Cu, Cr and Pb contents showing enrichment in the clay size fraction. Results of enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index showed that most of the elemental sources were natural (especially REE) and mostly likely represented background values. However, pollution load index revealed the higher levels of Cr, Cd, Zn and Pb, and, therefore, indicating to the anthropogenic sources (i.e. fishing activities) especially in the downstream locations. Thus, the Pinang River is classified as moderately to highly polluted.

A Pilot Study on the Concentration of Heavy Metals in Sediments from the Lower Orange River, //Karas Region, Namibia

Global water shortage is caused not just by the physical scarcity of water, but also by gradual deterioration of the quality of water resources such as lakes, streams and rivers with heavy metals. This present study evaluated the status of Mn, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, As, Zn, Pb and Cd in sediments from the lower Orange River by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry technique by collecting a total of eleven samples, each weighing 1 - 2 kg at the depth of 15 - 20 cm from two observations sites along the lower Orange River and applying pollution indicators such as contamination factor(CF), pollution load index(PLI), index of geo-accumulation(Igeo) and enrichment factor(EF) to assay the nature and extent of heavy metals contamination in sediments. The sequence of the total heavy metal content in descending order was Fe > Mn > Cr > As > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cd. The results of CF and Igeo showed Mn, Cd, Ni, Zn and Pb were minor sources of sediment contamination since most of the samples were unpolluted and moderately polluted by these metals. However, most sediments were moderate to considerably polluted with Cr, As and Fe suggesting that these were the major pollution sources. The value of PLI at one of the two observation sites was equivalent to the value of baseline level, while the next site indicted quality deterioration of the sediments. The EF revealed that Cr was moderately enriched and arsenic (As) significantly enriched in all the sediments, which suggested contamination due to anthropogenic intervention. Hence, it is recommended that sediment quality be evaluated on a regular basis to avoid further deterioration of the Orange River’s health, which might have detrimental repercussions for both aquatic life and local communities along the river.

Characteristics and Source Analysis of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution in a Mining Area

It is of great significance to study the degree and source of soil heavy metal pollution in geological high background value area for remediation of local contaminated soil. The 0 - 20 cm topsoil was taken around the mining area, and the contents of Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Hg, Cu and As in the soil were measured. Single-factor pollution index, Nemeiro comprehensive pollution index and potential ecological risk index were used to evaluate the degree of heavy metal pollution and ecological risk. Finally, multivariate statistical analysis was used to analyze the sources of soil heavy metals. The results show that the measured elements are polluted to different degrees, mainly due to the ecological environment problems caused by extensive mining development methods and inefficient utilization of resources. The key link is the release of pollutants at the source. Effectively blocking the release at the source can cut off the possibility of pollutants entering the food chain and the circulation of materials in the ecosystem. The results of potential ecological risk index showed that the potential ecological damage of seven heavy metals was ranked as follows: Cd (97.67) > Hg (68.97) > As (14.29) > Pb (11.55) > Ni (4.62) > Zn (1.61) > Cu (1.45) had a high ecological risk coefficient, and the potential comprehensive ecological risk index was 200.16 and the degree was medium. Principal component analysis shows that the sources of heavy metals are divided into Pb, Cd, As, Zn and Hg mainly from human activities such As mining, while Ni and Cu mainly come from soil parent materials, mining and agricultural activities.

The source of heavy metals and its indication to the sediment transfer in the Hangzhou Bay

-Suspended matters are important carriers of heavy metals in the hydrocycle.In this paper, the field investigation , lab. experiment and 'corresponding analysis' were made to study sources of the heavy metals and the transfer of suspended matters from the Hangzhou Bay.This conclusion shows that the contents of heavy metals in this area are the natural background values ; the distributions of heavy metals are controlled by the plume front.

Heavy metal pollution in tidal zones of Bohai Bay using the dated sediment cores

Three sediment cores were collected in November 2003 from Dagu estuary to Qikou estuary. The main polluted heavy metals in the sediment of tidal zones for the Bohai Bay have been found by analyzing the relationship among the contents of heavy metals, the contents of geochemical elements （Fe, AI and Mn） and the size of grain. The dominating contaminative elements in tidal sediments of Bohai Bay are Pb, Zn and Cd. Their contents are higher than the corresponding upper limit of environmental background values and they have very faint correlation with the corresponding contents of geochemical elements and the size of grain, indicating the anthropogenic enrichment. Especially, the preliminary study on the pollution sources and the history of heavy metals in the Dagu estuary has been done using the dated results. The contamination by Zn and Cd also started in the middle 1950s, while the contamination by Pb appeared in the early 1940s. The pollution by Zn and Cd mainly originate from sewage discharge, while the pollution by Pb has many sources, like atmosphere deposition and industrial discharRe.

Heavy metals pollution in water,suspended matter and surface sediment in typical mountainous urban river:A case study in Qingshui Stream in Chongqing,China

Based on a detailed environmental investigation of the whole Qingshui Stream catchments,samples of water and surface sediments were collected at 15 different places from the upper to the lower reaches of Qingshui Stream,and samples of suspended matter were obtained by filtrating the water samples. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd,Cu and Zn) were measured in filtered water,suspended matter,and surface sediment by ICP-AES. The results show that the concentrations of the three heavy metals in filtered water are 0.18,6.6 and 17.67 μg/L,lower than that of the Fresh Water Quality Criteria (US EPA) and those of the plain urban rivers,but the contents of Cd,Cu and Zn are much higher than the mean values of rivers in the world and the background value in Jialing River basin. The heavy metals concentrations in the suspended matter from Qingshui Stream are 2.08,438.14 and 1 348.05 mg/kg,much higher than the corresponding background values of soils in Chongqing city. The heavy metals concentrations in the surface sediment from Qingshui Stream are 0.84,189.75 and 838.23 mg/kg,and the values of index of geoaccumulation Igeo of Cd,Cu and Zn show that their pollution degrees are moderate. The heavy metals exist in three transferable forms such as water,suspended matter and surface sediment in Qingshui Stream. The heavy metals concentrations in water are the lowest,and those in the suspended matter are the highest,so the ecological risk in suspended matter is the highest. The distribution tendencies of three metals in water,suspended matter and surface sediment in main riverbed are different.

Water Quality and Heavy Metal Monitoring in Water, Sediments, and Tissues of the African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) from the River Nile, Egypt

Water quality of the river Nile and trace elements of the water, sediments and fish tissues were investigated in the current work. Eighteen different sampling points were selected along the whole course of the River Nile from its spring at Aswan to its estuaries at Rosetta and Damietta. Higher mean value of conductivity, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3), total solid (TS), sulphate (SO4), chloride (Cl), orthophosphate were recorded in the water of Damietta and Rosetta branches comparing to other sites. Also trace metals in the water, sediments and tissues of Clarias gariepinus increased significantly (P Fe > Cu > Pb > Mn > Cr> Cd > Hg. In the gill tissues theses metals were accumulated in the following order Fe > Zn > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Cd> Hg. The low accumulation of metals in muscle may be due to lack of binding affinity of these metals with the proteins of muscle. This is particularly important because muscles contribute the greatest mass of the flesh that is consumed as food.