Abstract
Sediment samples collected from 21 sites of the Pearl River networks were investigated by the sequential extraction method. Multiple environmental indices were adopted to evaluate the present and potential risks. Results indicated that concentrations of Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb in most of the sedi-ments were substantially higher than their background values, and the primary sources of the contamination coming from municipal, industrial wastewater discharges and upstream mining were inferred by matrix analysis with comparing special distribution characteristics. Cd was the main factor causing the potential ecological risk in Pearl River networks. The potential mobility of heavy metals was shown in the decreasing order: Cd > Mn > Co > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > As > Cr.
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