SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS IN HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN AQUATIC SEDIMENTS SURROUNDING A CLOSED STEEL SMELTER IN COATESVILLE, PA

Soil contamination is a critical environmental issue, particularly in areas surrounding industrial facilities. Among various contaminants, heavy metals pose a significant threat due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. Heavy metals, including arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), can adversely affect soil strength, plant growth, and human health throughout trophic scale interactions across ecological food chain. In this study, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) were employed to identify source concentrations of heavy metals, and to assess the soil environmental quality from over 60 sediment samples collected from a 12.5 km transect along the West Brandywine Creek located near the Cleveland Cliffs Steel Rolling Factory of Coatesville, PA. Multivariable statistical analyses (i.e., principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis) were used to calculate pollution indices relative to upstream, unimpacted data points, and compared with pollution indices from contaminated sites globally. Results indicated significant increases in heavy metal concentrations above background levels. As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb abundances were linked to anthropogenic activities as increases in concentrations were directly proportional to the distance from the steel factory. Furthermore, metal abundances remained elevated, relative to background levels, throughout a series of sediment cores retrieved from locations along the sampling transect. These findings indicate that the location and intensity of industrial processes are important factors in determining the geographical extent and temporal scale of heavy metal pollution in aquatic systems. In addition, the accumulation of heavy metals did not reach pollution levels set by governmental agency standards; however, residents should remain cautious of the ecological hazards posed by metal pollution due to long-term retention of these contaminants in ecosystems.