Abstract
Heavy metal abundance and potential environmental risks are reported for surface sediments (n = 21) from the Port of Koper area, Republic of Slovenia. The enrichment factor (EF) indicates minor enrichment in arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), and zinc (Zn), moderately to severely enriched with nickel (Ni). The trace metal chemistries, in the context of sediment quality guidelines (SQG), imply adverse threshold effect concentrations (TEC) and probable effect concentrations (PEC), for Ni only. Sediment sequential leaching experiments demonstrated that the majority of heavy metals were of natural lithogenic origin and low bioavailability. The heavy metals’ potential for “Risk Assessment Code” values exhibited no or low anthropogenic environmental burden, with the exception of Mo.
Highlights
Coastal environments are often environmentally burdened by port and traffic infrastructure, large industrial areas, urban settlements, and tourism activities
Heavy metals are among the most persistent pollutants in the aquatic ecosystem, and they are not nullified from water by self-purification [6]
There was no spatial difference noted and, the samples are defined as fine as fine sandy medium silt
Summary
Coastal environments are often environmentally burdened by port and traffic infrastructure, large industrial areas, urban settlements, and tourism activities. The flux of various anthropogenic contaminants, especially heavy metals, are discharged and accumulated into marine coastal ecosystems [1,2,3,4,5]. Heavy metals are among the most persistent pollutants in the aquatic ecosystem, and they are not nullified from water by self-purification [6]. The appearance and loading of heavy metals in vulnerable marine environments originates from both anthropogenic and natural processes, e.g., geological background [10,11,12]. A precise designation of anthropogenically/geogenically derived heavy metals is of importance in the evaluation and prevention of the pollution burden, and in planning the appropriate remedial action. The mobility potential and bioavailability of heavy metals in the surrounding environments is heavily dependent on their specific chemical forms and type of bindings
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