Accumulation of essential and toxic metals in sediment from the marmara sea along tekirdağ coast: Risk assessment for ecological health

In our study, sediment samples were collected from four different stations in the spring of 2018 to reveal the presence of essential and toxic metals in the Marmara Sea along the coast of Tekirdağ. Concentrations of essential and toxic metals in sediments of Cd, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cr, Mn, Hg, Fe, As and Zn were measured with an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscope device. The mean essential and toxic metal contents of sediment samples were determined as Fe (10,646.65 mg/kg) > Mn (265.03 mg/kg) > Ni 20.46 mg/kg) > Zn (18.63 mg/kg) > Cr (16.34 mg/kg) > As (11.94 mg/kg) > Pb (5.22 mg/kg) > Cu (3.8 mg/kg) > Cd (2.3 mg/kg). Hg could not be determined because it is in the below detection limits. The potential ecological risk index was calculated for all the metals, except for Hg, in four locations. In the sample SDM1 considerable risk for Cd was detected, moderate risk was found in SDM2 sample and low risk was detected in SDM3 and SDM4 samples. No other ecological risk was found for other metals. The reason for the very high ecological risk was calculated for cadmium might be that cadmium has high toxicity coefficient compared to other metals and due to the use of phosphorous fertilizer containing cadmium in agricultural activities and activities in the field of industry affecting natural water flows, erosion or discharges passing through the Marmara Sea along the coast of Tekirdag province. © 2019 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.