Determination of Selected Heavy Metals in Some Creeks in a Tennessee City.

• Main Author: Item, Ann Ejimole
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2011
• Subjects: weather; heavy metals; creeks; water; temperature; location; Chemistry; Environmental Chemistry; Physical Sciences and Mathematics
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1249; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2440&context=etd

Concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, and Pb were determined in six different creeks within a city in Tennessee using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Mean concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Fe in the sites examined reveal that they exceed the USEPA recommended limits. High concentrations of Cu (0.130 mg/L), Zn (13.7 mg/L), Ni (0.267 mg/L), and Cd (0.010 mg/L) were observed in site B and Fe (3.01 mg/L) in site E relative to other sites. The concentration of Pb (0.795 mg/l) was higher in site A. Higher concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Fe were detected in samples collected in the month of January and Cd in samples collected in the month of June. Pb and Ni concentrations did not show any significant difference with respect to dates of sample collection. Their presence in the environment on a particular day depends on the type and volume of human activities.