Ecological Risk Assessment of Arsenic and Metals in Surface Sediments from Estuarine and Coastal Areas of the Southern Bohai Sea, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Distribution and magnitude of arsenic and metals in surface sediments collected from the coastal and estuarine areas of the southern Bohai Sea, China, were investigated. Sediments from the estuarine and coastal areas of the Jie and Xiaoqing Rivers contained highest concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury, and zinc. Mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Cd were higher than background concentrations determined for the areas. The magnitude of both enrichment factors (EF) and geoaccumulation indices (Igeo) suggested that pollution with As and metals was occurring along estuarine and coastal areas of the southern Bohai Sea. Risk analysis also suggested that concentrations of As and metals were sufficiently elevated as to cause adverse biological effects in the study area. According to the ecological risk index (RI) values, the upstream of the Jie River has a very high ecological risk for the waterbody. The data provided in this study are considered crucial for controlling and remediation of As and metals' pollution of the southern Bohai Sea. Key Words: ecological risk assessmentarsenic and metalscoastal areassedimentcontaminationBohai Sea ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 41071355 and 41171394, the Environmental Protection Welfare Program under Grant No. 201009032, and International S&T Cooperation project (2012DFA91150). We thank the editors and reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.