Abstract
The concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in sediment samples from the Vridi Canal (Harbour area of economic capital of Cote d’Ivoire) were determined to evaluate the level of contamination. All metal concentrations in sediment samples, except Cu, were greater than the concentration of Upper Continental Crust (UCC). Sediment pollution assessment was undertaken by using Enrichment Factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and Pollution Load Index (PLI). The enrichment factor (Cd: EF = 20.04; Pb: EF = 3.43; Zn: EF = 1.56) and geoaccumulation index (Cd: Igeo = 4.29; Pb: Igeo = 1.81) showed that the sediments were polluted. The Pollution Load Index (PLI > 1) indicated that the sediments of the studied area were heavily contaminated. Based on the comparison with sediment quality guidelines, the concentrations of cadmium, lead and zinc would be toxic to one or more species of aquatic organisms living in the sediments.
Highlights
Aquatic ecosystems are often impacted by heavy metals which represent serious environmental threats
Pb and Zn exceeded the probable effect concentration (PEC) in 26.39%, 19.44% and 6.94 of samples, respectively. These results indicate that the concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn are likely to result in harmful effects on sediment-dwelling organisms which are expected to occur frequently
The results indicated that concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, except Cu, in sediment samples were higher than their corresponding concentration of Upper Continental Crust (UCC) due to anthropogenic activities
Summary
Aquatic ecosystems are often impacted by heavy metals which represent serious environmental threats. A large number of other economic activities such as fishing and maritime traffic pose an increasing threat of heavy metals. This canal, which links Ebrie lagoon to the Gulf of Guinea, is the only canal which allows one to enter and exit the harbour area of Abidjan. Different assessments of metal contamination in sediments have been focused in the Ebrie lagoon [4] [5] [6]. These studies have reported high levels of metal contamination in sediments
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