Evaluación de metales pesados en los sedimentos superficiales del río Pirro
Fecha
2013
Autores
Herrera-Núñez, Jacqueline
Rodríguez Corrales, José
Coto Campos, Juana María
Salgado Silva, Viviana
Borbón Alpízar, Henry
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Tecnológico de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
Resumen
Los metales pesados tienen una importante fuente
en las actividades de origen antropogénico y
constituyen un peligro para la biota acuática y el
ser humano y un factor de deterioro de la calidad
hídrica y ambiental. Los sedimentos ribereños, uno
de los principales reservorios de estos elementos,
actúan como fuentes secundarias de contaminación
de los cuerpos de agua, por lo que resulta importante
evaluar la concentración de metales como una
herramienta que permite rastrear el origen de los
contaminantes en el medio y predecir los impactos
que pueden producir en los ecosistemas acuáticos.
En el presente trabajo se analizó por espectrofotometría
de absorción atómica la concentración de
Cd, Ag, Se, Sn, Ni, Cr, Cu, B, Zn, Hg, Ba, Pb, Mn, As y Al
en los sedimentos superficiales del sector medio del
río Pirro (Heredia, Costa Rica). Las concentraciones
de estos elementos fueron muy elevadas para la
mayoría de las sustancias analizadas en todos los
puntos de muestreo seleccionados. Su distribución
no fue homogénea, ni presentó un patrón geográfico
marcadamente definido, pudiéndose encontrar
altos niveles distribuidos a lo largo del transecto
estudiado.
Anthropogenic activities are important sources of heavy metals, which are dangerous for the aquatic biota and the human being and a factor of environmental and water quality deterioration. The sediments, one of the main reservoirs of these elements, act as secondary resources of contamination of the rivers; this is why it is important to evaluate the concentration of metals, as a tool that allows to track the origin of the contaminants in the environment and to predict their impact on the aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, the concentration of Cd, Ag, Se, Sn, Ni, Cr, Cu, B, Zn, Hg, Ba, Pb, Mn, As and Al was determined in the superficial sediments of the medium sector of Pirro River (Heredia, Costa Rica) by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations of these elements were very high for the majority of the elements analyzed in all sampling points. Its distribution was not homogeneous, nor it presented a define geographical pattern, since high levels were found along the entire riverbed.
Anthropogenic activities are important sources of heavy metals, which are dangerous for the aquatic biota and the human being and a factor of environmental and water quality deterioration. The sediments, one of the main reservoirs of these elements, act as secondary resources of contamination of the rivers; this is why it is important to evaluate the concentration of metals, as a tool that allows to track the origin of the contaminants in the environment and to predict their impact on the aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, the concentration of Cd, Ag, Se, Sn, Ni, Cr, Cu, B, Zn, Hg, Ba, Pb, Mn, As and Al was determined in the superficial sediments of the medium sector of Pirro River (Heredia, Costa Rica) by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations of these elements were very high for the majority of the elements analyzed in all sampling points. Its distribution was not homogeneous, nor it presented a define geographical pattern, since high levels were found along the entire riverbed.
Descripción
Palabras clave
RIO PIRRO (HEREDIA), METALES, CONCENTRACIÓN, CONTAMINACION, CONCENTRATION, POLLUTION