Ecological risk assessment of some heavy metal in surfacial sediments of Shatt Al-Hilla River, Iraq

Abstract EN

Fourteen surfacial sediment composite samples were collected from two banks of seven main sampling sites at Shatt Al-Hilla to study the ecological risk assessment of Pb, Ni, Fe and Cu in order to assess their toxicity by using different pollution indices.

The total concentrations of Pb range from 11.70 to 30.55 ppm, Ni from 106.70 to157.80 ppm, from 335.0 to 1250.3 ppm for Fe and from 4.28 to 24.87 ppm for Cu.

The concentrations of Pb, and Cu in all studied sites were less than threshold effect level (TEL) and toxic effect threshold (TET) values, while Ni concentrations were almost greater than (TEL) and (TET) values.

Pollution levels according to Igeo for Pb, Fe and Cu metals in all sites are non (unpolluted) with the exception for Ni in all sites, which falls in non to moderate pollution level due to the accumulation of this metal from various anthropogenic sources.