Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate antimony (Sb) as apotentially valuable tracer of the anthropogenic impact on soilsand estuarine sediments. Antimony was determined in fifteenroadsoils from a medium-size city, La Coruña (NW of Spain);and twelve sediments from two estuaries (La Coruña and Ares-Betanzos). Sb determination was accomplished in a rapid andreliable way by directly measuring the solid samples with anautomatic ultrasonic slurry sampling-ETAAS device. Soil contentsranged from 0.29 to 8.81 μg g-1. A relation between Sbconcentration and motor vehicle intensity was observed.Regarding estuarine sediments, Sb amounted from 0.22 to 1.51 μg g-1, for the La Coruña estuary and 0.24 to 0.71 μg g-1, forthe Ares-Betanzos estuary; higher Sb values were found forcoastal locations whereas lower contents corresponded to `inner'samples. In order to confirm these findings, other pollutantswere studied: As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, aliphatichydrocarbons (AH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).These values, along with the Sb ones, were subjected tomultivariate studies intended to elucidate whether Sb correlated(and to what extent) to other well-known anthropogenic pollutants. Thus, Sb became associated to Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in road soils and to As, Cu, Zn, PAH, Pb and unresolved hydrocarbons, in sediments.
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Cal-Prieto, M.J., Carlosena, A., Andrade, J.M. et al. Antimony as a Tracer of the Anthropogenic Influence on Soils and Estuarine Sediments. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 129, 333–348 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010360518054
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010360518054