Speciation and risk assessment of Zn, Pb, and Cd in bottom sediments of two small upland dam reservoirs, Poland

Halina Smal; Sławomir Ligęza; Jacek Pranagal; Joanna Gmitrowicz-Iwan

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116041

Speciation and risk assessment of Zn, Pb, and Cd in bottom sediments of two small upland dam reservoirs, Poland

J Environ Manage. 2022 Nov 15:322:116041. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116041. Epub 2022 Aug 27.

Authors

Halina Smal¹, Sławomir Ligęza², Jacek Pranagal¹, Joanna Gmitrowicz-Iwan¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Soil Science, Engineering and Environment Management, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Leszczyńskiego St. 7, 20-069, Lublin, Poland.
² Institute of Soil Science, Engineering and Environment Management, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Leszczyńskiego St. 7, 20-069, Lublin, Poland. Electronic address: slawomir.ligeza@up.lublin.pl.

PMID: 36041307
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116041

Abstract

Sediments of two small dam reservoirs in Poland, Zalew Zemborzycki (ZZ) and Brody Iłżeckie (BI), were studied. Sediments from both reservoirs were sampled at 17 sites in the transects perpendicular to the shoreline, at the river inflow and the frontal dam and analysed using the BCR procedure for speciation of zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). The risk assessment code (RAC) and the individual contamination factor (ICF) were determined. In BI, the sediments were removed from the considerable part of the reservoir, creating an opportunity to study the effect of dredging on the speciation of trace metals. Trace metals partitioning was differentiated according to the transect/site and in the case of BI sediments also on the transect location in the dredged or undredged part of the reservoir. Considering ZZ sediments, the order of fractions for Zn, Pb and Cd according to a decreasing overall mean percentage contribution to total metal content was the same: F4 (residual) >F3 (oxidisable) >F2 (reducible) >F1 (acid soluble). In sediments of ZZ at most sites, the RAC for Zn, Pb and Cd revealed low or medium risk and ICF low or moderate contamination. For BI sediments, the order of fractions for Pb was similar while for Zn and Cd quite the opposite compared to the sediments of ZZ and it was: Pb-F4>F3>F1>F2, Zn-F1>F3>F2>F4, Cd-F1>F2>F3>F4. For BI sediments, RAC values for Zn, on average, indicated high and very high ecological risk; for Pb low and moderate risk and for Cd - high risk in the initial part and dredged part and according to the average value in the reservoir, while a medium risk in undredged part sediments. The ICF index showed high contamination with Cd for all BI sediments. The sequential analysis showed that Pb is poorly mobile as in sediments of both reservoirs residual fractions accounted, on average, for about 60% of the total content.

Keywords: Bottom sediments; Dam reservoir; Individual contamination factor; Risk assessment code; Sequential extraction; Trace metals.

MeSH terms

Acids
Cadmium / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Geologic Sediments
Lead
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Poland
Risk Assessment
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Zinc / analysis

Substances

Acids
Metals, Heavy
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Cadmium
Lead
Zinc