Potential mobility assessment of metals in salt marsh sediments from San Antonio Bay

Abstract

The BCR method was applied on sediments from the salt marsh of San Antonio Bay (SAB). It presents several channels among which the Encerrado is the most important and is impacted by abandoned mining wastes. The pseudototal concentrations of metals measured within this channel were relatively higher than in outer sites, and according to the I_geo index, its contamination level was low. The metal distribution in the different phases of sediment particles showed that the residual component, considered the safest from the environmental point of view, accounted for most of the Fe, Cd, Cu, and Zn contents. Conversely, Pb was mainly in the non-residual component as part of the reducible fraction, thus constituting the main environmental hazard among the studied elements. The predominance of residual and reducible fractions indicated a historic contamination of metal such as Pb, Cu, and Zn from the mining wastes. The low exchangeable and oxidizable fractions would indicate no actual input of metals.

Keywords: BCR method; Metals; Mining wastes.