Attribution of sources to heavy metal accumulation in the anthropogenically impacted Bach Dang River Estuary, Vietnam

In the present study, concentrations of 10 heavy metals (Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) were determined in superficial sediments from 20 sites within the Bach Dang Estuary, Vietnam. An integrated approach including correlation analysis, principal components analysis and positive matrix factorization was successfully applied to identify possible sources of these heavy metals. The results of this study identified four sources of the heavy metals, namely: natural geogenic, mixed anthropogenic, marine transportation and anti-fouling paint related sources, contributing 34.33 %, 14.80 %, 23.02 % and 27.86 % to the total metal concen-trations, respectively. From an environmental impact perspective, these findings could provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of sediment metal pollution. Accordingly, the use of more environmental friendly antifouling paints should be encouraged to minimize metal accumulation in sediments.

Automated summary

In this study, the concentrations of 10 heavy metals were measured in superficial sediments from the Bach Dang Estuary in Vietnam. An integrated approach was used to identify the possible sources of these heavy metals, including correlation analysis, principal components analysis, and positive matrix factorization. The results showed that the heavy metals originated from natural geogenic, mixed anthropogenic, marine transportation, and anti-fouling paint related sources, contributing different proportions to the total metal concentrations. From an environmental perspective, these findings provide a scientific basis for preventing and controlling sediment metal pollution, suggesting the use of more environmentally friendly antifouling paints to minimize metal accumulation in sediments.