The pollution assessment and the evaluation of potential risks in the Atlantic Coastal Region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are still very limited. Consequently, the present study investigates for the first time the concentrations of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) in river, estuary, and marine sediments from this area. The results highlighted high concentrations of Cr, Zn, As, and Pb exceeding the probable effect level (PEL) on aquatic life. Zn was the most dominant element detected at a range of 180–480 mg kg⁻¹ in marine sediment, 132–382 mg kg⁻¹ in estuary sediment, and 121–687 mg kg⁻¹ in river sediment. Total PCBs (∑7 × 4.3) ranged from 1995 to 20,156 μg kg⁻¹, 2013–12,058 μg kg⁻¹, and 1861–36,417 μg kg⁻¹ in marine, estuary, and river sediments, respectively. Total PCBs (∑7 × 4.3) were above PEL for all sediments, suggesting potential adverse effects on benthic organisms. The OCP, PBDE, and PAH levels were low to moderate for all sediments. Taking into consideration, the concentrations of Zn, Pb, PCBs, and DDTs, probable environmental risks, are present.

刚果民主共和国大西洋沿海地区的污染评估和潜在风险评估仍然非常有限。因此，本研究首次调查了河流中重金属和持久性有机污染物（有机氯农药（OCP），多氯联苯（PCB），多溴联苯醚（PBDE）和多环芳烃（PAH））的浓度，河口以及该地区的海洋沉积物。结果表明，高浓度的Cr，Zn，As和Pb超过了对水生生物的可能影响水平（PEL）。锌是最主导元件以一定范围的180-480毫克公斤的检测^-1在海洋沉积物，132-382毫克千克^-1在河口沉积物和121-687毫克千克^-1在河流沉积物中。总多氯联苯（Σ7×4.3）的范围为1995至20156公斤微克^-1，2013-12,058微克千克^-1，和1861-36,417微克千克^-1在海洋，河口和河流沉积物分别。所有沉积物的总PCBs（∑7×4.3）均高于PEL，表明对底栖生物的潜在不利影响。所有沉积物的OCP，PBDE和PAH含量均低至中等。考虑到可能存在的环境风险，即锌，铅，多氯联苯和滴滴涕的浓度存在。