title: Assessment of physico-chemical properties and metal contents of water and sediments of Bodo Creek, Niger Delta, Nigeria.
abstract: Some physico-chemical properties and the concentrations of the metals Fe, Mn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, and Zn in water and sediments were examined from September 2011 to January 2012 in Bodo Creek, where oil spills have been recurrent. Temperature, pH, total dissolved solid, conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total hardness, sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate were determined in surface water. Particle size, total organic matter (TOM), and pH were also determined in the sediments. The parameters were within permissible limits except the mean values of BOD, COD, total hardness, and sulfate that exceeded levels permissible for domestic use. The sediments consisted mainly of sand, with TOM ranging from 0.2% to 5.5%. With the exception of cadmium that was below detection limit, metal levels (mg kg-1) in the sediments were 12 (Mn), 1070 (Fe), 10 (Cu), 10 (Zn), 5.3 (Cr), 1.1 (Pb), 1.0 (Ni), and 0.5 (Co) while in water they were 24, 98, 21, 6.9, 4.0, 0.6, 0.18, and 0.16, respectively. The latter were higher than World Health Organization recommended permissible levels for both surface and drinking water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Port Harcourt , Port Harcourt , Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ijeoma Favour
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Vincent-Akpu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling , Stirling , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling , Stirling , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Scottish University Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow , Glasgow , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mackinnon
keywords: contamination; oil spill; sediment particle size; trace metals; water permissible levels