The Impact of Induced Industrial and Urban Toxic Elements on Sediment Quality

Abstract: The increasing population has subjected rivers and streams to high levels of both industrial and domestic pollution. Significant environmental challenges have been brought about by their effects, particularly with regard to biota, ecosystem processes, soil quality, and groundwater pollution. This study examined the effects of human activity by applying pollution index models to evaluate the input of toxic elements in river sediments. Prior to sediment quality analysis, the total amount of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), thorium (Th), and uranium (U) was determined in the concentration range of 1.09–10.0 mg/kg, 8.53–475 mg/kg, 0.12–0.16 mg/kg, 4.85–77.5 mg/kg, 3.14–5.9 mg/kg and 0.93–2.86 mg/kg, respectively. The enrichment factor, contamination factor, pollution load index, and geo-accumulation index revealed alarmingly high levels of Pb and Hg contamination at some sampling points, which are related to possible human input, ranging from severe enrichment to considerable contamination. The low ranges of pollution indices of some toxic elements suggest enrichment through the natural weathering process and atmospheric deposition. The Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a significant correlation between Pb-Fe and As-Fe, suggesting the possibility of acid mine contamination. Continual monitoring of river sediment is essential to minimize the impact of toxic elements to sustain sediment health and quality.