Department of Hydrology, University of Zululand, Private Bag x1001, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa.
Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Dec;149:110555. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110555. Epub 2019 Sep 26.
Sediment metal concentrations were assessed in five different beach regions (n = 183) of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province in South Africa. Metal distribution revealed that Cr, Cu, Mo, Cd, Zn, Hg and As exceed the background upper continental crust values suggesting their anthropogenic origin (mining, agricultural and industrial) apart from natural geological inputs (gold placer deposits and heavy minerals). Various geochemical indices (Geoaccumulation index, Enrichment factor and Degree of contamination) confirmed that the sediment samples are extremely contaminated with Cr, Cd and Hg. Further, Hg and Cd were main contributors (60-90%) to the ecological threat in sediments. Hazard index estimated a high hazard potential of Hg in near future. Finally, present study together with our previous results portray the status of KZN coast with special significance to Hg contamination/enrichment. Thus, future researches are recommended to investigate the environmental and human health implications of mercury exposure in this coastal province.
本研究评估了南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省（KwaZulu-Natal，KZN）五个不同海滩区域（n=183）的沉积物金属浓度。金属分布表明，Cr、Cu、Mo、Cd、Zn、Hg 和 As 超过了背景上大陆地壳值，表明它们具有人为来源（采矿、农业和工业），而不仅仅是自然地质输入（砂金矿床和重矿物）。各种地球化学指标（地积累指数、富集因子和污染程度）证实，沉积物样品受到了 Cr、Cd 和 Hg 的严重污染。此外，Hg 和 Cd 是沉积物中生态威胁的主要贡献者（60-90%）。危害指数估计 Hg 在不久的将来具有高危害潜力。最后，本研究与我们之前的结果一起描绘了 KZN 海岸的现状，特别是 Hg 污染/富集的状况。因此，建议未来的研究调查该沿海省份汞暴露对环境和人类健康的影响。
