Lead isotope fingerprinting used as a tracer of lead pollution in marine sediments from Botany Bay and Port Hacking estuaries, southern Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Anthropogenic lead has been released into environmental ecosystems via human activities; essentially from mining, smelting of lead, leaded gasoline and industrial activities. In order to explore the source apportionment and historic record of lead pollution in the marine sediments, concentration of lead was determined from the Botany Bay and Port Hacking estuaries, south of Sydney, Australia. Areas with the highest concentrations of lead in the sediment samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for lead isotopes to effectively identify the metal contamination source. In addition, other sediment samples were collected from cores at 40 cm depth to represent the natural background composition. The study found that the total lead in the tested marine sediments varied from 75.6 mg/kg to 582.2 mg/kg. The 206Pb/204Pb showed a decline towards the current surface sediment. Assuming that the natural background source of lead remains the same in terms of both isotopic signature and accumulation rate, the decline in 206Pb/204Pb indicated a rise in the contribution of old lead to the sediment, mainly from gasoline fumes (car and boat exhausts) and paint. This is because the samples came from close to water discharge points which have concentrated the catchment lead via stormwater runoff. Pb indicated a rise in the contribution of old lead to the sediment, mainly from gasoline fumes (car and boat exhausts) and paint. This is because the samples came from close to water discharge points which have concentrated the catchment lead via stormwater runoff.

A multitechnique approach for the identification of multiple contamination sources near a polluted industrial site

“…The uncertainty in attributing soil contamination from specific sources was solved by means of isotopic fingerprints analysis. The latter has been demonstrated to be a useful tool to trace pollution sources for and among different environmental compartments (e.g., soils, water, plants, animals, and aerosols) (Alyazichi et al, 2016).…”

“…To increase the precision of the isotope ratio measurements, the signal intensities were recorded 200-times over 24 Â 10 À3 s, 18 Â 10 À3 s, and 6 Â 10 À3 s for 206 Pb, 207 Pb, and 208 Pb, respectively. These ratios were used because 204 Pb both account only for a low percentage of Pb total abundance (Rosman & Taylor, 1998) and it is more difficult to measure by using mass spectroscopy due to the interference from 204 Hg (Alyazichi et al, 2016).…”

Sediment distribution on the continental shelf in relation to stream inputs and contamination: hydrodynamic, chemical, mineralogical, and sedimentological characteristics (Ligurian Sea, Italy)

“…Just because sediments play an important role in contaminant accumulation and transport, they are frequently used to identify contamination sources, study dispersion pathways and mechanisms, and determine the extent of the area involved in contamination and its time duration and evolution (Abdollahi et al 2013;Alyazichi et al 2016;Garcia-Orellana et al 2011;Ruiz-Compean et al 2017). However, several studies focus their attention only on a few specific abiotic characteristics of sediments (geochemistry or mineralogy) to trace back their origin and/or contamination degree (Ilgar and Sari 2008;Morillo et al 2004;Shaari et al 2015;Villaescusa-Celaya et al 2000).…”