Heavy metals from waste disposal in Central Puget Sound

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977 · Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es60132a002· OSTI ID:5402480

Schell, W R; Nevissi, A

One of the sources of the Puget Sound metals which are measured in this study--Pb, Cd, Zn, Hg, Cu, and Ni--is the liquid effluent from the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (METRO) sewage treatment facility which is discharged through diffusers at West Point, Seattle, Wash. The focus of this study (a part of the Puget Sound Interim Studies) is on the measurement of heavy metals in water, biota, and sediments collected near and far from the sewage treatment plant at West Point. Seasonal collections of water and biota samples show that there are few significant differences between the amounts and kinds of metals measured in samples collected near the outfall and at control stations. The concentrations of metals in Puget Sound water, except for Pb and Cd, are similar to the reported values for open ocean water. The intertidal and benthic biota show only small increases in concentrations at control stations. The sediment cores dated by /sup 210/Pb techniques have given information on the history of metal accumulation in Puget Sound over the past 100 years. The concentrations of several metals in the surface sediments are 1 to 3.6 times greater than the concentrations in sediments deposited 50 years ago.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Washington, Seattle
• OSTI ID: 5402480
• Journal Information: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 11:9; ISSN ESTHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGE ESTIMATION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BENTHOS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BUILDUP
CADMIUM
COPPER
DATA
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LEAD
LEAD 210
LEAD ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MERCURY
METALS
NICKEL
NUCLEI
PACIFIC OCEAN
POLLUTION
PROCESSING
PUGET SOUND
RADIOISOTOPES
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WATER POLLUTION
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZINC