Assessment of contamination with hazardous substances in surface sediments in the Lower Danube River

V M Radu V M Radu,E Diacu E Diacu,M Pipirigeanu M Pipirigeanu,I E Ciobotaru I E Ciobotaru,Gy Deak Gy Deak,E Marcu E Marcu,A A Ivanov A A Ivanov,P Ionescu P Ionescu

doi:10.47577/technium.v1i.17

V M Radu V M Radu, E Diacu E Diacu + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.47577/technium.v1i.17

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Abstract

River ecosystems are exposed to various stressors, surface sediments as a constitutive part thereof are an essential feature for the evaluation of aquatic ecosystems status. This paper aims to assess the surface sediment quality in the lower section of the Danube River, in terms of hazardous substances content (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Zn, Ni, PAH and PCB). For this purpose, 10 monitoring sites have been assigned for a period of September 2011-August 2017, where construction works were carried out with the purpose of improving the navigation conditions, which also involved sediment dredging. A total approximately of 1200 surface sediment samples have been collected from the Danube River (km 375-km 175), from the left and right banks, monthly during the construction period (2011-2015) and quarterly in the post-construction period (2015-2017). This study gives a description and more detailed evaluation of the integrated assessment of hazardous substances which was carried out in the surface sediments from the Lower Danube River using statistical analysis. The surface sediment quality evaluation was based on comparison of the obtained values with the chemical quality standards set out in the Romanian legislation (M.O. 161/2006). For a more in-depth assessment of the relationship between hazardous substances and for the identification of potential anthropogenic and natural sources, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) have been used. 

Highlights

The question of hazardous substances in Europe's fresh and marine waters is a complex issue, and climate change will add a further layer of complexity [1, 2]
This paper aims to assess the surface sediment quality in the lower section of the Danube River, in terms of hazardous substances content
In order to obtain information regarding the central tendency of hazardous substances in the studied area, statistical methods of evaluation were applied, the values obtained being compared against the national legislation in force through the Ministerial Order 161/2006 [20]

Summary

Introduction

The question of hazardous substances in Europe's fresh and marine waters is a complex issue, and climate change will add a further layer of complexity [1, 2]. In the absence of relative strong measures, this phenomenon is likely to adversely affect the chemical water quality over the coming decades. Like inorganic pollutants (heavy metals) and persistent organic pollutants, enter the Danube River via wastewater treatment plants, waste deposits, leaching off house hold materials and from many other sources [3, 4, 5]. Once in the Danube River, they can cause various types of damage to the ecosystem [6, 7]. Some information with respect to the chemical status of Europe's surface water bodies indicate that a variety of hazardous substances pose a threat to good chemical status in Europe

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