| Monthly, the distribution and enrichment of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb and Zn) in surface waters were examined at eight sampling sites, in Tapacurá river (Pernambuco State, Brazil), from March 1997 to December 1998 and from June 2005 to March 2006. On average, metal levels ranged from 0.30 to 4.22 for Fe; 0.02 to 1.09 for Mn; 0.001 to 0.014 for Cu; ≤ 0.006 to 0.029 for Pb and 0.003 to 0.020 for Zn, all in mg L-1. Heavy metals presented a great heterogeneous horizontal distribution, with hotspots in municipal and agricultural areas. The enrichment factor (EF) and the potential contamination index (Cp) indicated moderate to severe contamination by Cu and Zn. The results pointed the potential pathways of trace metals via the transport of soil for the... |
