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Abstract

Surface sediment samples from Strymonikos and Ierissos Gulfs were analyzed for Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr and Ni. The results showed that the sediment of Ierissos Gulf is more polluted with Cu, Pb, and Zn as compared to that of Strymonikos Gulf. The benthal area located off the load-out facility of the mining operations in the town of Stratoni, in Ierissos Gulf is established as the most polluted region. The distribution of Cr and Ni in both gulfs indicates the natural origin of these metals with the weathering of Strymon River and of other smaller rivers rocks being responsible for their enrichment.

Bioaccumulation Levels and Potential Health Risks of Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead in Albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre, 1788) from The Aegean Sea, Greece

“…Other studies in samples of diverse fishing areas do not show such high levels of Cd, but they exceeded the levels established by the EU [11,25,48,57,58]. Concerning high Cd concentrations detected mostly in our NASSA specimens is mainly affected by the pollution of the cities in the North Aegean Sea coastline that became polluted due to marine, road and air traffic as well as due to domestic and industrial waste [30,32]. It may be concluded that T. alalunga may contain toxic metal Cd above the EU limits.…”

“…Such high Hg levels found in the Mediterranean albacore may be attributed to the pollution from Hg mining wastewater in the sea [54]. Also, the above of 0.500 mg kg −1 wet wt Hg concentrations of the present study found mostly in the NASSA albacore samples, could be derived due to anthropogenic pressure along North Aegean coastline, in which exist coastal mining operations in Stratoni bay as well as several highly populated cities on the coastal zone (e.g., Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupolis), with widely industrialized and urbanized areas [28,29,30,31,32]. Furthermore, Evros, Nestos, Strymon, Axios, Loudias, and Aliakmonas river discharges, containing both natural and anthropogenic Hg, can contribute to increasing Hg contents of NASSA albacore.…”

“…The Aegean Sea (Figure 1) is a semi-enclosed system with ever-growing anthropogenic pressure along its coastline [28,29] that features several highly populated cities with widely urbanized and industrialized areas. Evidences of pollution exist regarding toxic heavy metals, e.g., [30,31,32] and nutrients e.g., [33]. However, publications on the concentrations and the human health risks assessment of Hg, Cd, and Pb in albacore from the Aegean Sea region are very limited [34].…”

Quality Indicators and Possible Ecological Risks of Heavy Metals in the Sediments of three Semi-closed East Mediterranean Gulfs

“…Some common anthropogenic activities that contribute to the release of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni species into the coastal marine environment consist in the following: mining operations, effluent discharges from fertilizer factories, oil refineries, and municipal sewage, spills during shipping and terminal transfers, intense agricultural activities, leaks of oil from offshore platforms, and usage of anti-corrosive and anti-fouling paints. Furthermore, river discharges, containing both natural and anthropogenic Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni species contribute to the increase in metal contents of the coastal environment [16,17,18,19].…”

Heavy metal concentrations in surface sediments from two regions (Saros and Gökova Gulfs) of the Eastern Aegean Sea

“…Several studies have been focused on sedimentology and geochemistry of sediments in the Aegean Sea (Ergin et al 1990;Yemenicioglu et al 1998;Karageorgis et al 1998;Batkı et al 1999;Kucuksezgin 2001;Sarı and Çagatay 2001;Stamatis et al 2002;Karageorgis et al 2005;Dalman et al 2006;Gavriil and Angelidis 2006;Kucuksezgin et al 2006). However, literature about its heavy metal concentrations from the eastern side of the Aegean Sea, along the Turkish coasts is scarce or limited.…”