Heavy metal distribution in sediments and ecological risk assessment: The role of diagenetic processes in reducing metal toxicity in bottom sediments

This paper describes the heavy metal distributions in river and lagoonal sediments of Jacarepagua Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The occurrence of metal phase translocation from the reducible to the oxidizable was observed for Fe, Mn and Ni, from the fluvial environment to the lagoonal. Cu was mainly associated with the oxidizable phase while Zn and Pb were mainly associated with the reducible phase in both environments. It has been demonstrated that metal sulfide formation and complexation by organic complexes are very important aspects in terms of toxicity reduction. By means of a risk assessment methodology, based on available sediment data, it was demonstrated that the lagoonal system is exposed to a low potential ecological risk and that Zn was the metal of greater concern with respect to the system pollution. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.