ARSENIC DISTRIBUTION IN SEDIMENTS OF FILIPPOS B PORT, KAVALA, NORTHERN GREECE

Nine sampling sites in the eastern Kavala coast, Northern Greece, were selected to collect sediments and analyze their content in arsenic. In past and recent years, arsenic has raised a lot of attention since it is considered to be a potentially toxic element. Arsenic concentrations ranged from 2.7 to 44.8 mg kg(-1), and its average was 15.3 mg kg(-1). Two samples with concentrations higher than 20 mg kg(-1) were in front of the industrial facilities of the study area. However, a possible contribution from the sulphide mineralization present in the area may not be excluded. The sediments of Filippos B port have a similar range of arsenic concentrations compared to that of larger international ports. Comparison between the concentrations found in the present study and internationally accepted guidelines showed that the aforementioned samples exceeded the suggested optimum level, although no sampling location reached such a level where remediation actions are necessary.