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Heavy metal contamination and its ecological risks in the beach sediments along the Atlantic Ocean (Limbe coastal fringes, Cameroon)

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Abstract

Beach sediments collected along Atlantic Ocean of Cameroon were geochemically analysed using ICP–MS techniques to determine their contamination of heavy metal and related ecological risks. In this study, the selected metals displayed a declining trend of Fe > Mn > Ni > Cu > Co > Zn > Cr > Cd. Indices of pollution, such as factor of enrichment (EF) which values are generally more than 1.5, except for Mn; index of geo-accumulation (I-geo), where values of Co, Ni and Cu in sediments of the studied area were > 0, and other metals (Zn, Cr, Fe and Mn) were < 0; factor of contamination (CF) which values of all selected elements are between 1 and 3 except for Co and Ni which are up to 3; and load index of pollution (PLI), where values in all sampling sites are greater than 1, except one site. These results advocate a moderate contamination of the study sediments by metal with the exception of Mn. The potential ecological risk assessment (\(E_{\text{r}}^{\text{i}}\) and RI) indicates that this coast is a low-to-moderate-risk zone. PCA, cluster and correlation matrix indicate that heavy metals maintained fairly similar trends with both anthropogenic and natural sources. This study explained that this coastal area is not highly concentrated by heavy metals and revealed that the Atlantic coast of Limbe, Cameroon are moderately polluted by studied metals with is a low-to-moderate risk.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partly supported by the Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, through an on-going internal project. We thank Flora Nelly Kouadio, Leopold Darlus Ngantchu and Eric Bokanda Ekoko, for their help in field work and the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, P.O. Box: 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa, Gabriel Ngueutchoua, Annick Kwewouo Janpou, Odilia-Alexandra Njike Njome Mbella Nguetnga, Ulrich Romaric Kankeu Kayou, Salomon Bertrant Bisse & Elise Colette Ngo Mapuna

  2. Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, Botswana International University of Sciences and Technology, Private Bag 16, Palapye, Botswana

    Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa

  3. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Yasser A. El-Amier

  4. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ciencias del mar y Limnología, Unidad de Procesos Oceánicos y Costeros, Circuito exterior s/n, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    John S. Armstrong-Altrin

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  1. Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa
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  2. Gabriel Ngueutchoua
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Correspondence to Armel Zacharie Ekoa Bessa.

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Ekoa Bessa, A.Z., Ngueutchoua, G., Kwewouo Janpou, A. et al. Heavy metal contamination and its ecological risks in the beach sediments along the Atlantic Ocean (Limbe coastal fringes, Cameroon). Earth Syst Environ 5, 433–444 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-020-00167-5

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