title: Contamination, toxicity and speciation of heavy metals in an industrialized urban river: Implications for the dispersal of heavy metals.
abstract: Urban rivers are often utilized by the local residents as water source, but they can be polluted by heavy metals due to industrialization. Here, the concentrations, toxicity, speciation and vertical profiles of heavy metals in sediment were examined to evaluate their impact, dispersal and temporal variation in Dongbao River. Results showed that the sediment in the industrialized areas was seriously contaminated with Cr, Cu and Ni which posed acute toxicity. Heavy metals, except Cr and Pb, were mainly associated with non-residual fractions, indicating their high mobility and bioavailability. The non-industrialized areas were also seriously contaminated, suggesting the dispersal of heavy metals along the river. The surface sediment could be more contaminated than the deep sediment, indicating the recent pollution events. Overall, when the point sources are not properly regulated, intense industrialization can cause both serious contamination and dispersal of heavy metals, which have far-reaching consequences in public health and environment.
authors: Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Quality Safety and Protection in Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory of Water Quality Safety and Protection in Pearl River Delta (Ministry of Education), Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors: Qihang
authors: Q
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors: Haichao
authors: H
authors: Zhou
authors: Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors: Nora F Y
authors: NF
authors: Tam
authors: Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Tian
authors: Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Tan
authors: School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
authors: Song
authors: S
authors: Zhou
authors: School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Quality Safety and Protection in Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory of Water Quality Safety and Protection in Pearl River Delta (Ministry of Education), Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: chenyongheng2008@163.com.
authors: Yongheng
authors: Y
authors: Chen
authors: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: jonathan_0919@hotmail.com.
authors: Jonathan Y S
authors: JY
authors: Leung
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D007221:Industry; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014507:Urbanization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Contamination; Dispersal; Heavy metal; Speciation; Toxicity; Urban river