Contamination and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments of the Munzur Stream, Turkey

The aim of the present study is to determine the heavy metal concentrations in the surface sediment between 2019-2020 in Munzur Stream,Turkey. The impact of pollution level in the study area was evaluated by geoaccumulation index (Igeo), Contamination Factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), pollution ecological risk (PER) index, and pollution load index (PLI). The average amount of heavy metals detected in sediment in the study in mg/kg was, in descending order, Fe>Al>Mn>Ni>Cr>Zn >Cu>Pb>Cd>Hg. The data evaluated by several statistical methods indicated that the metals with a positive relationship between them in the Pearson correlation analysis and the elements of the same factor in the factor analysis were mostly the same. The comparison of the results with the sediment quality criteria showed that only the mean value of Mn and Ni exceeded the values of PEL. Heavy metal levels in Munzur Stream sediment exposed to domestic and agricultural wastes, agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and mines were not high enough to pose a threat to aquatic life.