An assessment of contamination and ecological risk of metals in sediments of the Guaracara,Caparo and Couva rivers in Trinidad,West Indies

The presence of metals in an aquatic environment can serve as a biomarker for pollution and can be used to evaluate its contamination status. Rapid industrialisation in recent decades has propelled Trinidad and Tobago to be one of the most developed nations within the Caribbean region and has stimulated the awareness of potential ecological risks from various industrial activities affecting the rivers of Trinidad. Sediment samples from three rivers along the West coast of Trinidad were analysed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. For all three rivers, the metal concentrations in sediments were in the range of 0.40–2.31?μg/g, 12.77–33.04?μg/g, 14.51–72.89?μg/g, 224.90–4472.83?μg/g, 8.20–43.08?μg/g, 22.63–38.34?μg/g and 92.0–5462.60?μg/g for Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. Assessment of the pollution status indicated that all three rivers were considered polluted, with significant contributions from Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn. The potential ecological risk for all three rivers, however, was low and multivariate statistics revealed that mainly anthropogenic sources contributed to the metal concentrations in sediments of all three rivers.     

贵阳市区地表灰尘重金属污染分析与评价

以贵阳市区为研究地点,采集了贵阳城区工业区、交通区、商业区、居民区、文教区、公园广场、对照区7个类别共80个采样点的地表灰尘,分析了地表灰尘重金属在不同区域的分布特征,并分析其可能来源。最后,应用潜在生态危害指数法对6个功能区（工业区、交通区、商业区、居民区、文教区、公共区）样品中重金属的潜在生态危害进行评价。结果表明：贵阳市地表灰尘重金属的平均质量分数均高于贵州省土壤环境背景值,Cd、As、Cu污染质量分数都超过4倍以上背景值水平,其余重金属污染水平大多处于1~3倍背景值水平。就单个重金属潜在生态危害系数平均值来看,地表灰尘的潜在生态危害最大的是Hg,其次是Cd,生态危害最低的是Cr。6个功能区生态危害水平均属于强生态危害水平,其中工业区和公共区生态危害水平最高。     

Contamination levels and human health risk assessment of toxic heavy metals in street dust in an industrial city in Northwest China

This study investigated the content, distribution, and contamination levels of toxic metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in street dust in Lanzhou, an industrial city in Northwest China. Meanwhile, the risk these metals posed to the urban ecosystem and human health was also evaluated using the potential ecological risk index and human exposure model. Results showed that concentrations of these metals in the dust are higher than the background value of local soil, with Cu having the highest levels. The districts of Anning and Xigu had the most extreme levels of contamination, while Chengguan and Qilihe districts were lightly contaminated, which can be partly attributed to human activities and traffic densities. In comparison with the concentrations of selected metals in other cities, the concentrations of heavy metals in Lanzhou were generally at moderate or low levels. Heavy metal concentration increased with decreasing dust particle size. The pollution indices of Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were in the range of 0.289–2.09, 0.332–2.15, 1.38–6.21, 0.358–2.59, and 0.560–1.83 with a mean of 1.37, 1.49, 3.18, 1.48, and 0.897, respectively. The geo-accumulation index (I _geo) suggested that Zn in street dust was of geologic origin, while Cd, Cr, Pb, and Cu were significantly impacted by anthropogenic sources. The comprehensive pollution index showed that urban dust poses a high potential ecological risk in Lanzhou. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects due to exposure to urban street dust were assessed for both children and adults. For non-carcinogenic effects, ingestion appeared to be the main route of exposure to dust particles and thus posed a higher health risk to both children and adults for all metals, followed by dermal contact. Hazard index values for all studied metals were lower than the safe level of 1, and Cr exhibited the highest risk value (0.249) for children, suggesting that the overall risk from exposure to multiple metals in dust is low. The carcinogenic risk for Cd and Cr was all below the acceptable level (< 10⁻⁶).

     

Chemical speciation and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in volcanic rocks of Southern Qinghai,China

ABSTRACT

Seven volcanic rocks samples were collected from Southern Qinghai to analyze chemical speciation and migration behavior of heavy metals by sequential chemical extraction procedure and column leaching test. The geo-accumulation index, ecological risk index and the risk assessment code were applied to assess the heavy metal pollution and potential environmental effects in this area. Results revealed that the total concentrations of heavy metals did not exceed the background values in soil of this area. Most of the samples produced acid rock drainage. The order of heavy metal migration and transformation sequence in the volcanic rocks of Zhiduo region was Cd?>?Pb?>?As?=?Cu?=?Zn?=?Mn based on the geo-accumulation index and Cd caused heavy pollution, which was also confirmed by the leaching test. Moderate potential ecological risk posed by heavy metals occurred in the study area based on the potential ecological risk index. Cd contributed to most of ecological risk while the remaining heavy metals (except As) exerted medium to high risks to the environment according to the risk assessment code evaluation results. In summary, volcanic rocks possessed potential risks to the surroundings due to potential release of heavy metals. Cd that caused the pollution should be paid special attention.     

淮南市城区地表灰尘重金属分布特征及生态风险评价

城市地表灰尘中重金属会对人体健康和生态环境产生危害,为研究城市中不同功能区地表灰尘重金属的含量和潜在生态危害水平,以典型煤炭资源型城市淮南市的地表灰尘为研究对象,采集工业区、商业区、交通区、文教区、居住区和公园绿地等6种功能用地共40个点位的地表灰尘。采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱（ICP-OES）和DMA-80直接测汞仪测定Zn、Pb、Cu、Cr、Cd、Ni、Co、V、Hg的含量,分析其在不同功能区地表灰尘中的分布特征、相关性及可能的来源;并应用潜在生态危害指数法对重金属在不同功能区的潜在生态危害进行评价。结果表明：1）淮南市地表灰尘中 Zn、Pb、Cu、Cr、Cd、Ni、Co、V、Hg的平均质量分数分别是202.59、74.63、62.74、110.69、0.57、35.82、12.18、50.95和0.105 mg·kg-1,其中Zn、Pb、Cu、Cr、Cd、Ni、Hg的平均含量分别是淮南市土壤背景值的3.47、3.17、2.04、1.21、9.50、1.12、2.56倍,是中国土壤背景值的2.73、2.87、2.78、1.81、5.88、1.33、1.62倍。2）9种重金属中,Zn和V的含量在不同功能区分布相对均匀,其他重金属在不同功能区含量均表现出较明显的空间异质性。3）不同功能区中,Zn、Pb、Cu、Ni、Co、V、Hg的平均含量在工业区最高,Cr 和 Cd 的平均含量在交通区最高。4）不同重金属的相关性表明,Zn、Pb、Cu、Cd、Ni 等5种元素有同一来源,Co 和 V 有同一来源。5）单项潜在生态危害系数大小为 Cd〉Hg〉〉Pb〉Cu〉Ni〉Co〉Zn〉Cr〉V。不同功能区9种重金属复合生态危害均处于强生态危害水平（300≤RI〈600）,其中工业区和交通区潜在生态危害水平最高。     

上海城市公园灰尘重金属污染及其潜在生态风险评价

通过对上海城市公园灰尘重金属含量的调查,发现上海城市公园灰尘重金属Pb、Zn、Cu、Cr、Cd和Ni含量的平均值分别为416.63 mg/kg、906.29 mg/kg2、35.89 mg/kg1、62.59 mg/kg1、.58 mg/kg和92.19 mg/kg,同上海市土壤环境背景值相比,均处于较高的积累水平。公园灰尘重金属空间上的分布特征表现为:内外环线之间公园灰尘各重金属元素含量平均值均高于内环线内公园;通过分析判定公园灰尘中较高的重金属含量可能主要源于交通和工业造成的污染。运用潜在生态危害指数法来评价上海城市公园灰尘重金属污染状况,发现单种重金属造成的潜在生态危害表现为:Cd>Pb>Cu>Ni>Zn>Cr;公园灰尘6种重金属潜在生态危害达到一个相当高的水平,在所调查的公园中,63.6%的公园灰尘重金属生态危害达到极高水平,29.5%的公园达到高水平,6.8%的公园处于较高水平。     

贵阳市中心城区土壤重金属污染现状及其评价

以贵阳市中心城区五大功能区(工业区、商业区、行政区、文教区、居民区)的土壤为对象,研究土壤中重金属(Hg、As、Cu、Cr和Zn)污染的特征,采用单因子污染指数和内梅罗(N.L.Neiow)综合污染指数法对土壤重金属污染现状进行了检测与初步评价,Hakanson潜在生态危害指数评价法评价了土壤重金属的潜在生态危害,其结...     

江苏南通表土、地面灰重金属污染及潜在生态风险评价

选取南通市不同功能区表土、地面灰为对象,测试重金属元素Pb、Zn、Cu、Ni、Cr含量,并评价重金属污染水平和潜在生态风险程度.结果表明,表土、地面灰中Pb、Zn、Cu含量较高,污染较为严重,Ni、Cr含量较低,污染较轻.重金属污染顺序为工业区〉商业区〉交通区〉文教区〉住宅区.表土与地面灰重金属物质来源相似,一部分主要来自地壳物质,一部分受人为污染干扰.地面灰的重金属污染水平及潜在风险程度均高于表土,且崇川区工业区、商业区潜在生态风险程度较高,其余地区潜在生态风险程度较低.该项研究可为重金属污染防治提供科学参考.     

太湖北部表层沉积物重金属污染及其生物毒性研究

在分析太湖北部梅梁湾、竺山湾和贡湖表层沉积物和野生铜锈环棱螺体内重金属残留水平基础上,利用潜在生态危害指数法评价了区域重金属污染的潜在生态风险,并利用综合污染指数法评价了野生铜锈环棱螺受重金属污染的状况。研究结果表明,3个区域表层沉积物孔隙水的生物综合毒性处于低毒到中毒水平,而表层沉积物重金属污染均处于较低的生态风险,但3个区域的野生铜锈环棱螺体内重金属的综合污染指数处于中度到重度的污染水平。由此可以得出太湖北部沉积物重金属污染对底栖生物仍具有一定的潜在生态风险。     

莱州湾表层沉积物中重金属时空分布、污染来源及风险评价

运用污染风险评价标准和方法研究了2010年5月(春)、8月(夏)、10月(秋)和12月(冬)莱州湾表层沉积物中7种重金属污染物的时空分布特征、来源及生态风险。结果表明,表层沉积物中Cr、Zn和Pb含量均呈现春季低于其他季节特征,秋季Hg含量是其他季节的4倍,Cu、As和Pb含量无显著季节差异。表层沉积物中Cr、Cu、Zn、As和Cd最高值出现在莱州湾中部及小清河河口等西部水域,来源呈现受自然作用影响较大的特征;而Hg和Pb最高值出现在龙口和界河河口等东部水域,来源呈现受周边工业污染物的人为排放影响较大的特征。基于地理累积指数、生态效应浓度以及Hakanson潜在生态风险指数的综合评价表明,13%~29%的研究区域的表层沉积物受到轻微程度的Cd、Hg和Pb污染,Cd和Hg高值水域达到中等生态风险程度;Hg和As在65%~68%的研究区域的表层沉积物中达到可能对沉积物底质环境及生物群落产生不利生态影响水平。基于对重金属污染物的评价结果,莱州湾表层沉积物质量较好,局部区域存在Hg、Pb、Cd和As的潜在污染风险。     

天津城市道路灰尘重金属污染特征

以天津城市道路灰尘重金属为研究对象,按照环线分布将天津市中心城区划分为内环以内、内环-中环、中环以外3个区域,总共设置93个采样点。对表层灰尘进行采样收集,预处理后测定样品的理化性质,采用原子吸收光谱仪测定道路灰尘中重金属Cd、Cr、Cu、Ni和Pb的含量,进而分析天津市道路灰尘重金属的含量水平,运用ArcGIS软件中的地统计分析方法内插得出其空间分布特征,通过Pearson相关分析和主成分分析判析重金属来源。研究结果表明：道路灰尘颗粒粒径表现为双峰,主峰对应粒径较小,且为非正态分布,大量小粒径颗粒的存在使重金属含量增高;市区和各环区有机质变异系数较大,道路灰尘中有机质的空间分布差异较大,因而人为因素影响广泛;市区道路灰尘中重金属 Cd、Cr、Cu、Ni 和 Pb的平均含量依次为0.99、121.41、100.62、43.35和61.48 mg·kg-1,分别为天津土壤环境背景值的11.00倍、1.44倍、3.49倍、1.30倍和2.93倍;Cd、Cr和Cu的空间分布差异较大,Ni和Pb的空间分布差异较小;Pearson相关分析表明Pb-有机质（P＜0.05）, Cu-Ni（P＜0.01）和Cr-Cu（P＜0.05）之间存在显著正相关关系,主成分分析人为因素的积累贡献率为33.050%,自然因素的积累贡献率为57.315%,因此得出重金属受人为因素影响较大,交通尾气排放和工业污染为天津道路灰尘重金属污染的重要来源,且以多因子复合影响为主。     

Platinum pollution in road dusts,roadside soils,and tree barks in Seoul,Korea

This study presents the level of platinum in urban environment in and around Seoul, the capital city of Korea. Road dust, roadside soil, and tree bark samples were collected from the sites of various traffic volumes and from control sites in the suburbs. The above samples were analyzed for Pt by ICP-MS and other heavy metals by ICP-OES. Platinum levels in road dusts and roadside soils from Seoul were in the range of 3.8–444 ng/g (av. 115.0 ng/g) and 0.7–221 ng/g (av. 49.7 ng/g), respectively, whereas those in the suburbs were in the range of 2.3–5.2 ng/g (av. 3.9 ng/g) in road dusts and 0.4–5.1 ng/g (av. 2.4 ng/g) in roadside soils. The highest Pt levels in road dusts were found from major roads with high traffic volume. The remarkable difference in average Pt level between heavy traffic roads (av. 132.2 ng/g) and light traffic roads (av. 22.8 ng/g) reflects that an important source of Pt in roadside environment is automobile catalytic converter. High Pt level in road dust was found from the site of erratic stop–start driving condition, for example, 178 ng/g Pt in road dust around a vehicle crossing gate. Platinum level in tree barks ranged from 0.9 to 4.5 ng/g, which indicates the existence of Pt-containing particulate matter in the atmosphere. Road dusts with high Pt level were enriched in traffic-related heavy metals.     

Platinum pollution in road dusts,roadside soils,and tree barks in Seoul,Korea

This study presents the level of platinum in urban environment in and around Seoul, the capital city of Korea. Road dust, roadside soil, and tree bark samples were collected from the sites of various traffic volumes and from control sites in the suburbs. The above samples were analyzed for Pt by ICP-MS and other heavy metals by ICP-OES. Platinum levels in road dusts and roadside soils from Seoul were in the range of 3.8–444 ng/g (av. 115.0 ng/g) and 0.7–221 ng/g (av. 49.7 ng/g), respectively, whereas those in the suburbs were in the range of 2.3–5.2 ng/g (av. 3.9 ng/g) in road dusts and 0.4–5.1 ng/g (av. 2.4 ng/g) in roadside soils. The highest Pt levels in road dusts were found from major roads with high traffic volume. The remarkable difference in average Pt level between heavy traffic roads (av. 132.2 ng/g) and light traffic roads (av. 22.8 ng/g) reflects that an important source of Pt in roadside environment is automobile catalytic converter. High Pt level in road dust was found from the site of erratic stop–start driving condition, for example, 178 ng/g Pt in road dust around a vehicle crossing gate. Platinum level in tree barks ranged from 0.9 to 4.5 ng/g, which indicates the existence of Pt-containing particulate matter in the atmosphere. Road dusts with high Pt level were enriched in traffic-related heavy metals.

     

Determining distribution of heavy metal pollution in terms of ecological risk levels in soil of industrially intensive areas around Istanbul

The aims of the present study were to measure the concentrations of As, Cr, Co, Fe, and Zn in soils from two heavily industrialized areas and to assess the degree of heavy metal pollution by using the indices enrichment factor and the geo-accumulation index, as well as assessing the potential ecological risk. The concentrations of the selected elements in the environmental samples were determined by the neutron activation analysis. The pollutant concentrations in the studied areas showed that the soils were characterized by a high pollution from As and Cr due to the industrial facilities in the area. The concentrations in the Tuzla industrial area were 79–1215 mg/kg of Cr, 17–84 mg/kg of As, 22,000–54,000 mg/kg of Fe, 101–258 mg/kg of Zn, and 8–23 mg/kg of Co. The results for the Cerkezkoy industrial area were found to be 46–196 mg/kg of Cr, 6–24 mg/kg of As, 17,000–25,000 mg/kg of Fe, 67–136 mg/kg of Zn, and 7–10 mg/kg of Co. The contamination in the soils from heavy metals was assessed based on enrichment factor, geo-accumulation factors, and ecological risk indices. The results were compared with the data from other industrial areas in Turkey. It was found that the metals As and Cr showed higher concentrations in Tuzla than in other examined industrial areas. The results for Cerkezkoy industrial area indicate that the area is not as contaminated as the other industrial areas in Turkey.     

典型工业城市大气降尘中重金属分布特征及其来源解析---以济南市为例

污染源解析是城市大气环境精准防治的重要基础。为探究典型工业城市大气降尘中重金属污染分布特征和污染源解析,本研究在济南市域内采集了35个大气降尘样品,分析了样品中重金属浓度及其空间分布特征,采用正定矩阵因子分析模型(Positive Matrix Factorization,PMF)解析降尘中重金属来源。研究结果表明,降尘中Mn、Fe、Co、Ni、Cu、Zn、As和Pb浓度平均值分别为501.4、29884.6、8.2、24.8、44.3、153.9、12.5、40.1 mg·kg^-1,其中Zn、Cu和Pb的地累积指数(Geoaccumulation Index,I_geo)分别为1.17、1.06和1.01,属于中度污染;钢铁冶炼较为发达的钢城区降尘中Mn、Fe、Co、Cu和As浓度显著高于其他区县,其浓度平均值分别为1172.4、73577.3、17.0、139.7、32.3 mg·kg^-1,而Zn和Pb在历下区、槐荫区等人口密集区域最高浓度可达351.5 mg·kg^-1和114.0 mg·kg^-1;PMF分析结果表明,济南市降尘重金属主要存在4个贡献源,分别为土壤源、工业源、交通源和混合源,贡献率分别为46.8%、26.6%、15.2%和11.4%。其中,重金属Co、Cu、Fe主要来自土壤源,Mn主要来自于土壤源和工业源的贡献,Ni主要来自于土壤源和混合源,交通源对降尘中Pb和Zn的贡献率较高,As则主要来自于工业源。本研究结果可为济南市大气环境精准防控政策的制定提供理论依据。     

Chemometric evaluation of heavy metal pollutions in Patna region of the Ganges alluvial plain,India: implication for source apportionment and health risk assessment

While metal pollution and distribution in soil are well documented for many countries, the situation is more serious in developing countries because of the rapid increase in industrialization and urbanization during last decades. Although it is well documented in developed countries, data about substantial metal pollution in Indian soil, especially in eastern Ganges alluvial plain (GAP), are limited. In this study, eight different blocks of Patna district located in eastern GAP were selected to investigate the contamination, accumulation, and sources of metals in surface soil considering different land use types. Additionally, human health risk assessment was estimated to mark the potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effect of metals in soil. The concentration of all metals (except Pb) in soil was below the Indian standard limit of the potential toxic element for agricultural soil. Pb was the most abundant in soil, followed by Zn and Cu, and accounted for 52, 33 and 8% of the total metal. In terms of land use types, roadside soil detected higher concentrations of all metals, followed by park/grassland soil. Principal component analysis results indicated traffic pollution and industrial emissions are the major sources of heavy metals in soil. This was further confirmed by strong inter-correlation of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu and Pb). Human health risk assessment results indicated ingestion via soil as the primary pathway of heavy metal exposure to both adults and children population. The estimated hazard index was highest for Pb, suggesting significant non-carcinogenic effect to both adults and children population. The children were more prone to the non-carcinogenic effect of Pb than adults. However, relatively low cancer risk value estimated for all metals suggested non-significant carcinogenic risk in the soil.     

Source apportionment and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in road dust from urban industrial areas of Ahvaz megacity,Iran

This study investigates the occurrence and spatial distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Hg, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, Fe, Mn, V and Sb) in 67 road dust samples collected from urban industrial areas in Ahvaz megacity, southwest of Iran. Geochemical methods, multivariate statistics, geostatistics and health risk assessment model were adopted to study the spatial pollution pattern and to identify the priority pollutants, regions of concern and sources of the studied PTEs. Also, receptor positive matrix factorization model was employed to assess pollution sources. Compared to the local background, the median enrichment factor values revealed the following order: Sb > Pb > Hg > Zn > Cu > V > Fe > Mo > Cd > Mn > Cr ≈ Co ≈ Al ≈ Ni. Statistical results show that a significant difference exists between concentrations of Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Sb, V and Hg in different regions (univariate analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test p < 0.05), indicating the existence of highly contaminated spots. Integrated source identification coupled with positive matrix factorization model revealed that traffic-related emissions (43.5%) and steel industries (26.4%) were first two sources of PTEs in road dust, followed by natural sources (22.6%) and pipe and oil processing companies (7.5%). The arithmetic mean of pollution load index (PLI) values for high traffic sector (1.92) is greater than industrial (1.80) and residential areas (1.25). Also, the results show that ecological risk values for Hg and Pb in 41.8 and 9% of total dust samples are higher than 80, indicating their considerable or higher potential ecological risk. The health risk assessment model showed that ingestion of dust particles contributed more than 83% of the overall non-carcinogenic risk. For both residential and industrial scenarios, Hg and Pb had the highest risk values, whereas Mo has the lowest value.     

石家庄城市近地表降尘重金属污染及潜在生态危害评价

以2007年6月采集的石家庄城市近地表降尘为对象,采用Hakanson提出的潜在生态危害指数法对石家庄城市近地表降尘中重金属污染及潜在生态危害进行评价.结果表明,石家庄城市近地表降尘中重金属元素含量变化均较大,Zn、Cd、Cr、Ni、Cu、Pb等属于强变异元素,重金属元素在近地表降尘中积累已达到严重程度;各重金属元素中...     

珠江三角洲养殖鱼塘水体中重金属污染特征和评估

为了解珠江三角洲主要养殖环境中重金属含量及潜在生态危害程度,用电感藕合等离子质谱法和原子荧光法测定了肇庆、广州、惠州和茂名4市14个样点沉积物中7种元素的水体及底泥总量,并对底泥中主要重金属污染状况及潜在生态风险进行了评价。结果表明：养殖鱼塘水体中Cr质量浓度范围是nd-0.1011 mg·L-1,超标率为7.1%,Cu质量浓度范围为nd-0.1438 mg·L-1,超标率为64.3%,As质量浓度范围是0.0112-0.0812 mg·L-1,超标率为24.1%,Hg质量浓度范围是0.00004-0.00458 mg·L^-1,超标率为35.7%,Pb质量浓度范围为nd-0.0973 mg·L^-1,超标率为6.8%,其余Ni、Zn和Cd质量浓度范围分别为nd-0.0218、nd-0.0232和nd-0.00319 mg·L^-1,均未超渔业水质标准;底泥中重金属元素Cr、Cu、Zn、As、Hg、Cd和Pb的平均值分别为83.86、46.19、242.16、32.38、0.64、1.00和60.06 mg·kg^-1,地积累指数评价结果显示,表层沉积物重金属污染程度顺序为Cd＞Hg＞Zn＞Pb＞As＞Cu＞Cr,其中,Cd污染程度为中-强,是底泥污染最严重的元素。潜在生态风险指数分析,单项潜在生态风险指数生态风险均值排列顺序为 Hg＞As＞Cd＞Pb＞Cu＞Zn＞Cr。对区域综合潜在生态风险指数RI的贡献率最大的元素为Hg、As和Cd。4个市底泥潜在生态风险综合指数（RI）比较,惠州（290.13）＞广州（240.54）＞茂名（193.23）＞肇庆（116.40）。Hg和Cd是该水域污染和潜在生态风险最大的元素。     

湘江衡阳段沉积物中铊等重金属的污染特征及其生态风险评估

湘江是我国重金属污染最重的河流之一。为了更全面了解湘江衡阳段表层沉积物重金属污染现状及其潜在生态风险,在前期相关研究基础上,分析了重金属Tl及其他4种重金属(Mn、Co、Ni和V)的含量水平和分布特征,并采用地累积指数法和潜在生态风险指数法对沉积物中重金属污染现状和潜在生态风险进行了评价。结果表明,湘江衡阳段表层沉积物中Tl和Mn有一定程度的累积和污染,其含量分别为0.12～2.09mg·kg-1和234～4580mg·kg-1。由于Tl具有较强的毒性响应,其潜在生态风险不容忽视。综合前期相关研究结果,研究区域中10种重金属总潜在生态风险指数(RI)为27.8～6266,约70%采样点具有重度生态风险,其主要风险来源于Cd和Tl。