Assessment of the metal content in seawater and sediments (Coastal Area of the Black Sea)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a method for simultaneous determination of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn from saline matrices (seawater and sediments) using the ICP-EOS technique. The developed method has quantification limits between 3.6÷11.7 µg·L−1, precision expressed in RSD < 6%, recovery tests in the range of 90÷115%. The evaluation of 38 seawater samples taken from the Black Sea area indicated that some metals were below the limit of determination of the applied method (Cd, Mn and Ni), others were below the maximum value allowed by the Order 161/2006 (Cr, Fe). Copper exceeded the maximum allowed limit only in 2 analyzed samples and Zn exceeded the maximum allowed concentration according to the current legislation in 50% of the analyzed samples. For the sediment samples, a certified reference material sediment-type with low metal and organic matter content purchased from LGC was used in the validation process.