Heavy metals concentration in surficial sediments of bidong Island, South China sea off the East coast of peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

The distribution, enrichment and accumulation of heavy metals in the surficial sediments of Bidong Island, South China Sea East Coast of peninsular Malaysia were investigated. Thirty sediment samples were collected in 2007 using Smith McIntyre grab and characterized for heavy metal content. Results showed that the average concentration of heavy metals were Cu (19.33±5.78 μg g-1 dry weight), Zn (61.34±9.36 μg g-1 dry weight), Cd (0.15±0.06 μg g-1 dry weight), Pb (20.47±5.36 μg g-1 dry weight), Cr (47.04±16.05 μg g-1 dry weight), Al (6.23±2.33 μg g-1 dry weight) and Fe (4.21±1.41 μg g-1 dry weight), respectively. All metals studied have relatively low Enrichment Factor (EF) values and index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) in the study area. Overall, the geochemistry of the sediment of Bidong Island was influenced by both natural and anthropogenic inputs to the catchment. However, direct comparison with earth crust values and normalization to Al indicated that natural processes were more dominant than anthropogenic inputs in concentrating metals.