A comparative study between the levels of some heavy metals in the sediments of two Egyptian contaminated environments

Abu-Qir Bay and the Suez Gulf are two major economically important marine environments in Egypt. At the same time, they are exposed to intensive heavy metal contamination. A comparative study was carried out into the concentrations of some heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cd, Cu and Ni) in the sediments of both areas. Principal component analysis (PCA), contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) were calculated for each metal. In addition, concentrations of these metals in the studied sediments were compared with sediment quality criteria guidelines. Among the studied heavy metals, it was observed that cadmium was the only metal which showed concentrations higher than recommended levels reported for marine sediments. In general, the studied sediment metal concentrations in both environments varied according to their mineralogy and proximity to potential sources if contamination.