Abstract

AMAT INFANTE, Pilar Dania; PIERRA CONDE, Allan; CASALS BLET, Iván  and  VAZQUEZ ABELLA, Daili. Estudio de la contaminación por metales pesados en sedimentos y ostiones de la bahía de Manzanillo, Cuba. Rev. Soc. Quím. Méx [online]. 2002, vol.46, n.4, pp.357-361. ISSN 0583-7693.

The contamination by heavy metals was determined at the coastal tract in the Manzanillo's Bahia, Cuba. Space temporary characteristics and their accumulative effects were measured in sediments and oysters, in the studied zone. Collected samples were obtained of the floor's sediments and organisms from seven stations located in the mentioned zone. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) analysis with nebulous by flame was used to determine quantitatively Pb, Cu and Zn. To measure Arsenic, hydrides were generated with atomization in a quartz cell. A higher concentration of Pb was observed in sediments at Yara river as well as in the near coastal zone, with respect to previous studies. The contents of Cu and Zn keep on the normal limits. The geoaccumulation index of these elements was established as well as the index of urban and industrial contamination. These indexes let us evaluate the affect in the marine ecosystem and its spatial distribution.

Keywords : Heavy metals; sediments; oysters.