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Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Sediments of Inflow Rivers to Lake Taihu, China

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Abstract

Lake Taihu, the third-largest freshwater body in China, has many functions, including drinking water supply, flood control, cultivation, navigation, and tourism. In this study, sediment samples were collected at 31 sites from 11 inflow rivers in 2012, to investigate the distribution and concentration of heavy metals copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr), and to assess their potential ecological risk. The highest mean concentration was found for Zn, followed by Cu, Cr, Pb, and Ni. Generally, heavy metal pollution was more serious in Wu Jingang River and Caoqiao River, probably because they receive large amounts of wastewater from various local industrial enterprises. The potential ecological risk values of the heavy metals were larger than 120 in more than 25.8 % of the sediment samples, indicating a very high risk. The largest ecological risk was due to copper. Furthermore, the results of a principal component analysis and subsequent analysis of variance showed that heavy metal concentrations in the sediment of inflow rivers were higher than those of the lake, which created a large hazard for the aquatic ecosystems of Lake Taihu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, People’s Republic of China

    Yong Niu

  2. Research Center of Lake Environment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, Beijing, 100012, People’s Republic of China

    Yuan Niu & Hui Yu

  3. College of Environment, Hohai University, Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, People’s Republic of China

    Yong Pang

Authors
  1. Yong Niu
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  2. Yuan Niu
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  3. Yong Pang
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  4. Hui Yu
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Correspondence to Yuan Niu or Yong Pang.

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Niu, Y., Niu, Y., Pang, Y. et al. Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Sediments of Inflow Rivers to Lake Taihu, China. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 95, 618–623 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1654-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-015-1654-x

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