Composição química no sedimento da Bacia do Baixo Iguaçu

Abstract

Chemical elements are found naturally in the environment. Concentrations of these compounds in sediments may suffer significant increase, resulting from human activities, which may cause implications for the quality of the environment and risks to human health. In sediments, the chemical elements are subject to several interactions, being able to present mobility and bioaccumulation. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the concentration of chemical elements in the sediment of the Baixo Iguassu Basin, located on the Iguassu River, located in the Southwest region of Paraná. Samples were collected at 7 points with collections performed annually. The elements Co, Cu, Pb, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn present in the sediment samples were quantified using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. After the sediment analyzes were carried out, the contamination factor, the degree of contamination, the sedimentological sensitivity factor and, finally, the index of potential ecological risk established by Hakanson were calculated. Copper values were between 80 and 190 ppm, being higher in this study than found in others, which could be characteristic of the region. The potential ecological risk index classified the region as low ecological risk. Therefore, it is inferred that the concentrations of trace elements in the region are in accordance with the geochemical reference values in the region.