Assessment of the metal content in seawater and sediments (Coastal Area of the Black Sea)

The aim of this study was to develop a method for simultaneous determination of Cd,
Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn from saline matrices (seawater and sediments) using the
ICP-EOS technique. The developed method has quantification limits between 3.6÷11.7
μg∙L−1, precision expressed in RSD < 6%, recovery tests in the range of 90÷115%. The
evaluation of 38 seawater samples taken from the Black Sea area indicated that some
metals were below the limit of determination of the applied method (Cd, Mn and Ni),
others were below the maximum value allowed by the Order 161/2006 (Cr, Fe). Copper
exceeded the maximum allowed limit only in 2 analyzed samples and Zn exceeded the
maximum allowed concentration according to the current legislation in 50% of the
analyzed samples. For the sediment samples, a certified reference material sedimenttype
with low metal and organic matter content purchased from LGC was used in the
validation process.