Geochemical Distribution and Bioavailability of Heavy Metals and Oxalate in Street Sediments from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A Preliminary Investigation

Authors: McAlister, John; Smith, Bernard; Neto, Jose; Simpson, Julia

Source: Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Volume 27, Numbers 5-6, December 2005 , pp. 429-441(13)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

As urbanisation accelerates within less-economically developed countries, populations in cities such as Rio de Janeiro are subject to numerous health risks relating to “heavy metal”, sewage and vehicle pollution. These risks apply especially to children, through inhalation and dermal contact with pollutant-rich street sediments that reflect contamination from atmospheric deposition and act as effective sinks for heavy metals and oxalates. To assess the nature and extent of these risks street sediments were collected from industrial, commercial, residential and recreational areas with varying traffic densities within Rio de Janeiro. A modified selective extraction procedure was used to study the geochemical partitioning and bioavailability of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and C₂O ₄ ⁻ . Oxalate partitioning has not been studied by traditional sequential methods and results from this procedure highlight the potential bioavailability of both oxalates and “heavy metals”, especially Pb and C₂O ₄ ⁻ in industrial and recreational areas.

Keywords: "heavy metals''; Rio de Janeiro; selective extraction; street sediments; oxalate

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10653-005-2672-0

Affiliations: 1: Email: j.mcalister@qub.ac.uk

Publication date: 2005-12-01