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Sediment quality assessment for heavy metal pollution in the Xiang-jiang River (China) with the equilibrium partitioning approach

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Abstract

Sediment quality criteria (SQC) of heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc and cadmium) for surface sediment have been developed to evaluate sediment contamination in the Xiang-jiang River of China using the equilibrium partitioning approach. USEPAs fresh water quality criteria [criterion continuous concentration (CCC), criterion maximum concentration (CMC)] were referenced to derive sediment quality criteria (SQC-low and SQC-high) of the Xiang-jiang River. The toxicological implications of SQC-low and SQC-high were similar with CCC and CMC, which were used to protect benthic organisms from short-term- and long-term exposure to pollutants. Sediment Pollution Index method was established based on the SQC-low and SQC-high values to evaluate sediment quality qualitatively and quantitatively. The evaluation method was applied to the Xiang-jiang River, and the result indicated that the cadmium contamination in the sediments was of concern; especially, in the Zhu-zhou, Yue-yang, and the middle and downstream reaches of Heng-yang section.

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Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely appreciate the financial support by the major program of the national water pollution control and management in China (No. 2012ZX07503-002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Chaonan Han, Yanwen Qin, Binghui Zheng, Yingqun Ma, Lei Zhang & Wei Cao

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  1. Chaonan Han
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  2. Yanwen Qin
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  3. Binghui Zheng
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  4. Yingqun Ma
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  5. Lei Zhang
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Correspondence to Yanwen Qin.

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Han, C., Qin, Y., Zheng, B. et al. Sediment quality assessment for heavy metal pollution in the Xiang-jiang River (China) with the equilibrium partitioning approach. Environ Earth Sci 72, 5007–5018 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3368-5

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