High Concentrations Of Trace Metals Research Articles

Characterization of soluble and colloidal phase metal complexes in river water by ultrafiltration. A mass-balance approach

Ultrafiltration, anodic stripping voltammetry, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry have been used to determine the distribution and degree of association of major trace metals with discrete size fractions of dissolved organic matter which passes initially through a 0.4-pm membrane filter. A novel mass-balance approach has been developed for fractionation of operationally defined, dissolved organic matter and organometallic complexes into well-defined molecularsize ranges. The highest concentrations of trace metals were found in intermediate molecular weight fractions ( 10^3-10^4) with no detectable free or labile metal as determined by anodic stripping voltammetry.

Inducibility of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase in BALB/c/ki mice exposed to urban air pollution.

In two separate experiments BALB/c/ki mice were exposed to urban air pollution. Mice exposed to clean air served as controls. In both experiments there were no obvious quantitative or qualitative differences in lung or liver tissue examined by light microscopy. In both experiments higher aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activities and higher trace metal concentrations were observed in the mice exposed to polluted urban air. These data are interpreted in terms of health hazards of urban air pollutants.

Impact of encrusting carbonates on manganese, zinc and copper concentrations of two vascular hydrophytes from Texas

In alkaline calcareous waters, hydrophytes become encrusted with carbonate precipitates of a complex nature which alter bulk chemical analyses of the plants. The manganese, zinc and copper concentrations, and the ash content of two aquatic plants, Egeria densa and Potamogeton nodusus, differed considerably depending on the cleaning procedure used and, therefore, the amount of marl encrustation included in the analyses. Tapwater washed plants, retaining the marl, consistently had ash contents two to three times higher than acid-cleaned plants and exhibited higher trace metal concentrations, especially manganese.

Interaction of mineral elements in sea water and shell of oysters ( Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin)) cultured in controlled and natural systems

The interaction is reported of selected chemical elements (cadmium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, strontium, and zinc) in cultured sea water, with soft tissues, prismatic calcite of the right valve, and foliated calcite of right and left valves of genetically similar American oysters, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin) grown in a natural habitat and in two environmentally controlled experimental systems (flow-through and recycle). The addition of trace elements as algal nutrients in ambient sea water was reflected in higher concentrations of trace metals in shells and soft tissues of oysters grown in experimental systems. Calcium was relatively uniformly distributed in major regions of valves from the three habitats, even though its concentration fluctuated widely in sea water in experimental systems. Magnesium and strontium were most concentrated in valves of oysters grown in the recycle system (magnesium in the prismatic layer of the shell and strontium in the foliated calcite). Iron was uniformly distributed. Cadmium, copper, manganese, and zinc were most concentrated in the prismatic calcite of valves from the flow-through system. In soft tissues, calcium was more concentrated in oysters from experimental systems than in those from the natural habitat. Manganese was about equally distributed in soft tissues from the three habitats, whereas copper and iron were more concentrated in soft tissues in experimental systems than in the natural habitat, and were many times more concentrated in soft tissues than in valves from all three habitats. As concentrations of magnesium, strontium, mangenese, zinc, and cadmium increased in valves in experimental systems, pigmentation of valves decreased. The study confirmed the capacity of oysters to concentrate several elements in their valves as concentration of these elements increased in ambient sea water and disclosed the heterogeneous distribution of these elements in major regions of the valves.

Trace metals in the common mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.), and in the alga Fucus vesiculosus (L.) from the region of the sound (Öresund)

Concentrations of zinc, cadmium, lead and iron were determined in whole soft parts of mussels, Mytilus edulis (L.), and in growing tips of the alga Fucus vesiculosus (L.) from a total of 20 locations in the area of the Sound between Sweden and Denmark. Pollution profiles produced for each metal were similar in any one of the species studied but the profiles for metals in M. edulis were distinct from those for metals in F. vesiculosus. Results for mussels agreed broadly with those reported previously for this region, indicating a northward decrease in available metal concentrations. By contrast, results for algae showed few differences in metal availability throughout the study area, although some local effects were evident. The differences in the pollution profiles exhibited by these two organisms depend on their response to different portions of the total trace metal load of ambient waters. Results from the alga agree well with available data on the concentrations of trace metals in solution in waters of the Sound. The alga thus appears to be responding only to metals in solution, as suggested by previous authors. By contrast, the major proportion of the total body load of metals in mussels is derived from ingested phytoplankton. The pollution profiles exhibited by mussels may be explained if phytoplankton from the Baltic Sea contain higher concentrations of trace metals than do those from Kattegat. Possible mechanisms for the production of such differences in the metal contents of the two phytoplankton populations, and the ecological implications of these differences, are briefly discussed.

Multiple intrusion and hydrothermal activity, eastern Breckenridge mining district, Summit County, Colorado

The Breckenridge mining district is located in Summit County, Colorado, about 95 km west-southwest of Denver, Colorado. Mapping in the eastern end of the district has identified bodies of intrusive rhyodacite porphyry, intrusive breccia, and blow-out breccia in the vicinity of the old Wirepatch mine, an area mapped previously as exclusively quartz monzonite porphyry. The distribution of rock types, alteration patterns, and chronology of emplacement indicate that this portion of the district is part of an intrusive complex that vented periodically in middle Tertiary time. Propylitic alteration of rocks occurs near the margins of the area, and in the vicinity and to the east of the exposed intrusive rocks, the rocks have been affected by phyllic alteration. Seventy-four composite rock-chip samples were analyzed for lead, zinc, copper, and molybdenum. Eleven of the samples were analyzed also for gold. The amount of lead, zinc, and copper in the samples appears to be directly related to the degree of hydrothermal alteration of the rocks. Analyses of monzonite and quartz monzonite porphyry yield enrichment factors of 8.9 (lead), 4.3 (zinc), and 6.1 (copper) within the phyllic zone. Comparison of trace-metal distribution versus intrusive rock types indicates that the metals were added to the host rocks during or shortly following emplacement of the intrusions. Lead, zinc, and copper average 1,143, 1,191, and 259 ppm within samples of rhyodacite porphyry; 2,440, 365, and 278 ppm in samples of intrusive breccia; and 530, 978, and 381 ppm in samples of blow-out breccia. The highest mean molybdenum values are from the blow-out breccia (9.5 ppm), and the two samples bearing significant gold (0.46 and 0.47 ppm) came from the rhyodacite porphyry and the intrusive breccia. The presence of the intrusive rocks coupled with the pervasive hydrothermal alteration and the high trace-metal concentrations suggest that the area encompassing the Wirepatch mine may contain near-surface sulfide and precious metal deposits in addition to those already exploited. The possible existence at depth of additional intrusions suggests further that the area may contain porphyry-type molybdenum mineralization.

Heavy metals in deltaic sediments of the Fraser River, British Columbia

Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, together with sand content and loss of ignition, have been determined for surflcial sediments from the Fraser River delta-front and upper foreslope. Both geochemical maps and statistical analysis disclose close relationships between trace-metal concentrations, sediment texture, and Fe and Mn content. Detailed studies of the distribution of labile and non-labile trace metals within sediments indicate that these relationships reflect increased concentrations of trace metals associated with both the detrital minerals and hydrous Fe oxides coatings in the finer fractions of the sediment. Abnormally high concentrations of labile trace metals are found on the tidal flats at two stations influenced by discharge of metal-rich sewage.

びわ湖湖底たい積物中のヒ素，カドミウム，鉛，亜鉛，銅，マンガン含有量について

In order to investigate the vertical and horizontal distribution of trace metals contained in the sediment of Lake Biwa, a total of 51 samples were collected and analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, lead, zinc, copper, and manganese by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Of these samples, 14 were taken from various points on the surface of the bottom sediment, and 37 were taken at intervals of about every 5 meters from a vertical core to a depth of 200 meters below the surface of the lake bottom.The vertical distribution of the metals in the core was found to be in a dry matter basis as follows : arsenic 958 ppm (average 24 ppm), cadmium 0.241.36 ppm (0.44 ppm), lead 1843 ppm (27 ppm), zinc 98160 ppm (133 ppm), copper 3466 ppm (52 ppm), and manganese 6205, 300 ppm (1, 800 ppm).It was noticed that the highest values of both manganese and cadmium were found in the same sample from a depth of 130m, and it may be supposed that some heavy environmental changes took place during the period it was deposited, which is estimated to be roughly 300, 000 years ago. For other samples, however, the content of trace metals did not differ so much with depth, in spite of the fact that the materials from the core are presumed to have been deposited over a period of the past several hundred thousand years.As for the horizontal distribution of trace metals in the surface sediment deposited in modern ages, a remarkable accumulation of arsenic (126450 ppm) and manganese (8, 30017, 300 ppm) was observed at several points near the center of the northern part of the main lake basin, where pollution had not been expected.Furthermore, in the southern part of the lake, it was found that the surface sediment near the Seta River which flows out of the lake was remarkably polluted by cadmium and other metals (cadmium 26 ppm, lead 259 ppm, zinc 736 ppm).At other points investigated, the content of trace metals in the surface sediment was much the same as that of the vertical core samples from below the level polluted by man.Thus, the high concentration of trace metals detected in the surface sediment at some points indicated that the natural process of accumulation of trace metals which had gone on throughout the past several hundred thousand years began to be broken by the recent human activity.

Heavy Metals in Some River and Bay Sediments near Swansea

RELATIVELY high concentrations of trace metals in plants1 and in coastal waters2 around the Swansea area indicate the need for identifying their possible sources. We have analysed some sediments from the Rivers Neath and Tawe and from the shore of Swansea Bay (Fig. 1). Both rivers are tidal in the sampling localities and material was collected from muddy sediment exposed at approximately half tide levels. The Swansea Bay samples were also obtained from the half tide zone at three localities ranging from the West Pier by the mouth of the River Tawe (South Dock) westwards away from the industrial belt to the University College and Blackpill (Fig. 1). Two samples were taken from the River Neath, one about 1 inch and the other 6 inch beneath the surface. This was repeated at the River Tawe with an additional sample from the surface layer of sediment. The beach samples consisted of a surface layer sample and another 6 inch below from each of the three collecting stations (Fig. 1). Of the 11 samples 6 have more than 70% and 4 more than 43% by weight of material finer than BSS 120 mesh (0.124 mm) and, with one exception (R. Tawe sample 3) less than 12% larger than BSS 40 mesh (approx. 0.4 mm). The grain size distribution is therefore mainly in the silt-clay range (Fig. 2).

Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements in a Coastal Plain Estuary: Distribution of Manganese, Iron, and Zinc in Sediments, Water, and Polychaetous Worms

The distribution of manganese, iron, and zinc in sediments, water, and in six species of polychaetous worms is described for the Newport River estuary near Beaufort, North Carolina. Concentrations of manganese, iron, and zinc in 0.1 N HCl extracts of sediment samples collected monthly from three stations for 2 years varied with element, location, time, and sediment type. At each station, iron was the most abudant element present in the 0.1 N HCl extracts and zinc was the least abundant. The concentrations of all three elements in the sediments decreased in a seaward direction. There were definite temporal fluctuations in the concentration of these metals in the sediment, although no seasonal trend was evident. In addition, muddy sediments contained higher concentrations of trace metals than sandy sediments.