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Heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants contamination in river, estuary, and marine sediments from Atlantic Coast of Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

This research presents the collaboration between University of Geneva (Department F. A. Forel), University of Kinshasa and Pedagogic National University of Congo (The Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Funding

We are grateful to financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 31003A_173281/1) and Academy of Research and Higher Education of Wallonia-Brussels (ARES).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), BP 190, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Robert Bueya Suami, Crispin Kyela Mulaji, Pius Tshimankinda Mpiana & John Poté

  2. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), BP 212, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Robert Bueya Suami

  3. Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences and Institute of Environmental Sciences, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva, Uni Carl-Vogt, 66 Boulevard Carl-Vogt, CH-1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland

    Periyasamy Sivalingam, Dhafer Mohammed Al Salah & John Poté

  4. Postgraduate and Research Department of Microbiology, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 620020, India

    Periyasamy Sivalingam

  5. Joint Centers of Excellence Program, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Prince Turki the 1st st, Riyadh, 11442, Saudi Arabia

    Dhafer Mohammed Al Salah

  6. Central Environmental Laboratory (GR-CEL), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Dominique Grandjean & Florian Breider

  7. Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN), Croisement Route de Matadi et Avenue de la Libération. Quartier Binza/UPN, BP 8815, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Jean-Paul Otamonga & John Poté

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  1. Robert Bueya Suami
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  2. Periyasamy Sivalingam
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  3. Dhafer Mohammed Al Salah
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  8. Jean-Paul Otamonga
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  9. John Poté
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Correspondence to John Poté.

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Suami, R.B., Sivalingam, P., Al Salah, D.M. et al. Heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants contamination in river, estuary, and marine sediments from Atlantic Coast of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 20000–20013 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08179-4

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