Investigation of Heavy Metal Concentrations in The Gulf of Izmit (Marmara Sea) Altinova Shipyard Region

Abstract

In this study, heavy metal concentrations (Ca, Mg, Hg, As, Sb, Ag, Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, Zn, Ti, Th, U, Mo, Cd) amounts were measured by examining marine sediment samples obtained from the coasts of the Izmit Bay Altınova shipyards region. The natural and anthropogenic pollution levels of the region were revealed by the analysis of sediment samples. The extent to which the marine ecosystem may have been affected by the shipyard activities that have been actively carried out in the region for the last ten years was also investigated. Heavy metal analyses of sediment samples were carried out by the XRF method. In addition, the morphological and surface features of the sediment grains were obtained by SEM analysis, and the element contents of seawater samples obtained from the region were determined with an ICP-OES device. The heavy metal pollution level of the region was revealed by evaluation of the data obtained as a result of the analysis. The results of the XRF analysis showed that the heavy metals, which are toxic for humans, such as cadmium (max 17.984 ppm), lead (max 31.302 ppm), nickel (max 71.725 ppm) and arsenic (max 13.852 ppm) were detected. According to the results of elemental analysis with ICP-OES, Hg, As, Sb, Ag, Al, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, V, Ti, U, Mo, and Cd were below the measurable limit. © 2022, Turkish Chemical Society. All rights reserved.