Metals pollution in freshly deposited sediments from river Mingoa, main tributary to the Municipal lake of Yaounde, Cameroon

Abstract

Freshly deposited thirty six surface sediments from river Mingoa, main tributary to the Municipal lake of Yaounde in Cameroon, were sampled to determine the degree, sources and distribution of metals contamination. The concentrations of trace elements were measured by ICP-AES for the samples collected at different stations in January 2005. Generally, the concentration of metals (Si) in the sediments reflected an anthropogenic inputs. The sediments were characterized by a high amount of organic matter (LOI) with a mean value of 12.44%. Enrichment Factors (EF) and Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) were calculated and the relative contamination levels were assessed at these sites. With the exception of Ni, the enrichment of toxic metals was high. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis (principal factor method) were used to assist the interpretation of elemental data. This allowed the determination of the correlations between the metals and LOI variability in the sediments, and the identification of four main factors loadings controlling by parent rocks, anthropogenic input, organic compounds and weathering of silicate minerals.

Accumulation of total trace metals due to rapid urbanization in microtidal zone of Pallikaranai marsh, South of Chennai, India

“…The origin of the above metals can be traced to the surface runoff of the fertilizer remains of the adjacent agricultural lands as well as domestic and industrial effluents. The concentration of lead in the sediments of this region should have originated from the atmospheric deposition of automobile exhaust (Léopold et al 2008). It has been observed that destruction of batteries in bulk quantities by craftsmen to recover Pb and Cd is also being carried out adjacent to the study area, thereby contributing to the enrichment of heavy metals in the sediments of the study area.…”

Impact of anthropogenic input on physicochemical parameters and trace metals in marine surface sediments of Bay of Bengal off Chennai, India

“…These elements are known as markers of paint industries (Lin et al 2002), and many are present in the study area. The concentration of lead in the sediments of this region should have originated from the atmospheric deposition of automobile exhaust (Léopold et al 2008). Cadmium enrichment is independent of the accumulation rates of terrigenous detrital input (Calvert and Pedersen 1993).…”

Assessment of some heavy metals in surface sediments of the Aqaba Gulf, Egypt

“…It can assess heavy metal pollution for sediments in marine as well as freshwater environments (Ruilian et al 2008;Leopold et al 2008;El-Sikaily 2008). Geo-accumulation index was originally defined by Muller (1979), who determined the heavy metals contamination in sediments by comparing current concentrations with preindustrial levels.…”