Distribution and ecological risks of heavy metals in river sediments and overlying water in typical mining areas of China

Abstract

The distribution and potential ecological risks of eight heavy metal elements including Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, Hg, and W in the overlying water and sediments of the Taojiang River were investigated. The concentrations of eight heavy metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), and the distribution coefficients were exploited to estimate the partition coefficient between overlying water and sediment phases, which were subsequently used to establish the potential ecological risk of heavy metals in sediments. The results revealed that the contents of Pb (33.47 μg·L^-1), Cd (153.03 μg·L^-1) and Hg (1.12 μg·L^-1) in the water samples exceeded threshold values as proposed by the limits of the class III environmental quality standard. On the other hand, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb within sediments were below threshold limits.

Keywords: Ecological risk; Heavy metals; Metal mines; Overlying water; Sediments; Taojiang river.