Background Concentrations of Trace Elements and Sediment Accumulation Rates for Tropical Pristine Environments
Trace elements are pollutants that can be released into the environment causing adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. Once released into the environment, they can be dispersed by the wind and deposited in soil and bodies of water and accumulate in marine sediments. After entering the food chain, trace elements can accumulate in the human body at harmful levels. Background concentrations of trace elements were defined for marine pristine environments of Panama. Trace elements such as As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V and Zn were determined from sediment cores. Temporal records of trace element concentrations and its fluxes were dated for the period of 1906 to 2017 by using the 210 Pb technique. Higher flux rates of trace elements were observed since the 1950s and were attributed to an increase in human activities and climate variability. Since the enrichment factor in cores was always <2, there is no contamination, and the trace elements are mainly derived from lithogenic sources. Threshold Effect Level and Probable Effect Level (TEL and PEL) indicated that Cr, Cu, As, and Ni can pose a risk to the biota and therefore to humans, even at natural levels. The periodic monitoring of marine environments is recommended in order to minimize human health risks, damages to the biota, and to control some human activities with a possible contamination potential
Year of publication: |
[2022]
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Authors: | Broce, Kathia ; Ruiz-Fernández, Ana C. ; Batista, Alejandrina ; Franco, Ana K. ; Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan A. ; Pérez-Bernal, Libia H. ; Guerra-Chanis, Gisselle Esther |
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[S.l.] : SSRN |
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