Pollution source analysis of river water and sewage sludge

Abstract

Abstract Three methods of tracing environmental pollution sources in water are presented: 1. elemental tracers; 2. analysis of concentration changes; 3. factor analysis. They allowed for the reconnaissance of pollution sources in a harbour segment contaminated by several waste‐water outlets. Factor analysis was also performed to trace sources of toxic heavy metals in sewage sludge. These were found to derive mainly from motorized traffic and industrial effluents. Domestic waste‐water contributes mostly non‐toxic elements. ICP Emission Spectrometry was used to determine the elements: Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn.