Trace Elements in Urban Environments: A Review

Charlesworth, Susanne M.; Miguel, E. De; Ordóñez, Almudena

doi:10.1002/9781444317114.ch4

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 132 publications

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“…3IeJ). Urban soils are often enriched by trace metals (Alloway, 2004;Charlesworth et al, 2010). In general, soil pollution decreases with increasing distance to roads and decreasing traffic burden (Hjortenkrans et al, 2008;Werkenthin et al, 2014).…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Wild growing mushrooms for the Edible City? Cadmium and lead content in edible mushrooms harvested within the urban agglomeration of Berlin, Germany

Schlecht

Säumel

2015

Environmental Pollution

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Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Wild growing mushrooms for the Edible City? Cadmium and lead content in edible mushrooms harvested within the urban agglomeration of Berlin, Germany

Schlecht

Säumel

2015

Environmental Pollution

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“…Nutrients and trace elements have been shown to originate from a variety of sources, such as the natural diffuse weathering of bedrock and the erosion of soils and river channel banks (Wragg et al ., ; Charlesworth et al ., ). They may come from a variety of diffuse anthropogenic sources, such as urban street dusts and run‐off from agricultural land, as well as point source inputs such as sewage and industrial effluent discharges (Foster and Charlesworth, ; Charlesworth et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dynamics of sediment-associated contaminants over a transition from drought to multiple flood events in a lowland UK catchment

2015

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ArticleTitle: The dynamics of sedimentassociated contaminants over a transition from drought to multiple flood events in a lowland UK catchment It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. Version: Accepted version Abstract:Fine sediment in suspended form, recently deposited overbank and in temporary storage on or in channel beds was collected in the Nene basin during a period of drought through to a period of four high flows. The sediment was analysed for arsenic, copper, lead, phosphorus and zinc concentrations with the aim of investigating their sources, movement, temporary storage and potential for environmental harm.Copper, lead and zinc probably originated from urban street dusts, phosphorus (originally in dissolved form) from sewage effluent and arsenic from natural soils developed over ironstone. There was little difference in the metal or arsenic concentrations in the sediment under different flow conditions; instead proximity to pollutant sources appeared to control their concentrations. Phosphorus in tributary sub-catchments probably adsorbed to sediment during periods of low flow but these sediments were flushed away during high flows and replaced by sediment with lower concentrations. However, concentrations of all pollutants in overbank sediments along the Nene's main channel were not reduced in successive flood events, suggesting no first flush effect. Only phosphorus accumulated on sediment at concentrations exceeding those of its catchment -based sources (e.g. street dusts, channel banks, catchment soils). This scavenging of aqueous phosphate by sediment explained the difference in behaviour between phosphorus, arsenic and heavy metals. The surface area and organic matter content were shown to have a small effect on contaminant concentrations.Street dust contaminants only exceeded predicted effect levels (PELs) in close proximity to urban areas, suggesting a small potential for harm to the aquatic environment. Arsenic concentrations exceeded PELs in most sediment samples. However, it has been shown to be largely non-bioavailable in previously published research on the Nene, limiting its potential for significant environmental harm. Phosphorus concentrations in river sediments are high in comparison to the soils in the catchment and in comparison with sediment-P concentrations in other published lowland catchment studies, indicating a large potential for eutrophication should the Phosphorus be, or become, bioavailable.2

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“…Concentrations of metals commonly found in the urban environment from anthropogenic sources [aluminium (Al), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) (Alloway and Ayres, ; Charlesworth et al ., )], that were present in the filtrate were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES) (Varian Vista Pro CCD Simultaneous ICP‐OES, Varian Inc.). Accuracy of the sediment metal extraction methods was tested with certified reference materials (LGC6187 for aqua regia and BCR701 for acetic acid) and precision (as percentage relative standard deviation) through triplicate extractions, included to equate to 10% of all samples.…”

Section: Laboratory Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of vegetation in the retention of fine sediment and associated metal contaminants in London's rivers

Gibbs

Gurnell

Heppell

et al. 2014

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Many urban rivers receive significant inputs of metal-contaminated sediments from their catchments. Restoration of urban rivers often creates increased slack water areas and in-channel vegetation growth where these metal-contaminated sediments may accumulate. Quantifying the accumulation and retention of these sediments by in-channel vegetation in urban rivers is of importance in terms of the planning and management of urban river restoration schemes and compliance with the Water Framework Directive. This paper investigates sediment properties at four sites across three rivers within Greater London to assess the degree to which contaminated sediments are being retained. Within paired restored and unrestored reaches at each site, four different bed sediment patch types (exposed unvegetated gravel, sand, and silt/clay (termed 'fine') sediments, and in-channel vegetated sediments) were sampled and analysed for a range of metals and sediment characteristics. Many samples were found to exceed Environment Agency guidelines for copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and Dutch Intervention Values for Cu and Zn.At all sites, sediments accumulating around in-channel vegetation were similar in calibre and composition to exposed unvegetated fine sediments. Both bed sediment types contained high concentrations of pseudo-total and acetic acid extractable metal concentrations, potentially due to elevated organic matter and silt/clay content, as these are important sorbtion phases for metals. This implies that the changed sediment supply and hydraulic conditions associated with river restoration may lead to enhanced retention of contaminated fine sediments, particularly around emergent plants, frequently leading to the development of submerged and emergent landforms and potential river channel adjustments.High pseudo-total metal concentrations were also found in gravel bed sediments, probably associated with iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) oxyhydroxides and discrete anthropogenic metal-rich particles.These results highlight the importance of understanding the potential effects of urban river restoration upon sediment availability and channel hydraulics and consequent impacts upon sediment contaminant dynamics and storage.

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Trace Elements in Urban Environments: A Review

Cited by 5 publications

References 132 publications

Wild growing mushrooms for the Edible City? Cadmium and lead content in edible mushrooms harvested within the urban agglomeration of Berlin, Germany

Wild growing mushrooms for the Edible City? Cadmium and lead content in edible mushrooms harvested within the urban agglomeration of Berlin, Germany

The dynamics of sediment-associated contaminants over a transition from drought to multiple flood events in a lowland UK catchment

The role of vegetation in the retention of fine sediment and associated metal contaminants in London's rivers

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