| Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Surface Sediments of the Yeongsan River |
| 영산강 수계 표층 퇴적물의 금속류 분포 및 오염도 평가 |
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양해종1, 강태우2, 봉기문2, 정효진2, 양원준2, 한종학2, 김경현3, 정희정2, 황순홍2 |
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2국립환경과학원
3국립환경연구원 |
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| Abstract |
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The particle sizes and heavy metal concentrations (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Hg, As, Cr, Ni, Li, Al) of surface sediments of the Yeongsan River were analyzed to assess the distribution and pollution level of heavy metals. The distribution of particle sizes was dominated by sand in the upstream sites (MS1-MS7) and by silt loam in the downstream sites (MS8-ML3), but MS3 and MS6, located slightly upstream of the two weirs, were found to be loamy sand and silt loam, respectively. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd and Hg were higher at the upstream sites, while As, Cr, Ni and Li were higher at the downstream sites. The heavy metals of crustal origin (As, Cr, Ni and Li) were strongly correlated with particle size, while the other heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd and Hg) were weakly correlated with particle size. Considering their concentrations, most of heavy metals were evaluated as having almost no toxic effects on benthic organisms, at all sites. In addition, anthropogenic contamination by the Igeo, EF and CF were found to have no impact at most sites, with only low levels of pollution at the others. Using the PLI method, the MS2 and MS3 sites, located upstream, were assessed to be affected by anthropogenic contamination. Most importantly, Zn, Cu and Hg were found to be the elements responsible for most pollution, and they were highest at the upstream sites, implying pollution by domestic sewage and urban discharge. |
| Key Words:
Surface sediments, Heavy metals, Pollution assessment, Yeongsan river |
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