Assessment of Contamination by Metals in Coastal Sediments from South East Coast of Tamil Nadu, India with Statistical Approach

This study was initiated to investigate the heavy metal contamination in coastal sediments from Pattipulam to Devanampattinam along the South East Coast of Tamil Nadu, India using EDXRF technique with statistical approach. The mean concentration of heavy metals in sediments is found to be in the sequence of Al > Ca > K > Fe > Mg > Ti > Ba > Mn > Zn > V > Cr > Ni > La > Pb > As > Cd > Co. The highest metal concentrations in sediments are found in Devaneri (DVN) and Thenpattinam (TPM) sites. The degree of contamination by heavy metals in sediments was assessed using enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (I-geo), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI). The results of contamination indices in heavy metals indicate that sediment is not polluted from anthropogenic activities. The natural or anthropogenic sources of heavy metals were determined using multivariate statistical techniques. The results of multivariate data analysis indicate that heavy metals in the sediments are natural origin. This study provides a better understanding of identification of metal pollution sources in the sediment samples.