Heavy Metals in Littoral Deposits Off Havana City, Cuba

The content of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, C org and organic matter was investigated in sediment samples taken in the littoral zone off Havana City. the results revealed three areas affected by contamination: (a) Chivo Beach with a submarine sewage outfall, (b) the mouth of the Havana Bay and (c) the estuarine area of the Almendares River. the normalization of the heavy metals contents with respect to aluminium and organic matter combined with multivariate statistical methods was found valuable for a proper interpretation of the analytical results.