Distributions of trace metals in sediment cores from a hypertrophic reservoir in northeast Brazil

The distributions of Al, Cu, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured in two sediment cores obtained from the Macela Reservoir in Northeast Brazil. Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly separated both the cores and the sections corresponding to different depths. The concentrations of Cu, Cr, Mn and Zn were highest in the upper sections (0-20 cm), and were significantly correlated with the total organic carbon (Corg) content. The concentrations of Co, Pb and Ni were highest in the lower sections (25-45 cm), and showed strong correlations with aluminum. Cu, Cr, Mn and Zn were derived from anthropogenic sources, while Co, Ni and Pb were of natural origin. Toxicity assessment based on the threshold effect level (TEL) and probable effect level (PEL) values listed in the Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQG) showed that Cu, Pb and Zn rarely cause any adverse effects, while Ni was likely to cause frequent effects in the biota of the reservoir. The toxicity of Cr was uncertain.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Santos,Izaias S., Garcia,Carlos A. B., Passos,Elisangela A., Alves,Jose P. H.
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Sociedade Brasileira de Química 2013
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-50532013000200011
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!