Accumulation and potential ecological risks of Heavy Metals in sediments from Rivers in the Beijing–Tianjin Area

Human activities can introduce heavy metals to water bodies, where they are then deposited in sediments. The risks, spatial distributions, and toxicities of heavy metals in sediment were investigated along the North Canal in the densely Beijing–Tianjin area. The average geoaccumulation index ranged from 0.2 to 2.91 and the highest value was obtained for Cd. All the pollution load indexes were greater than one, indicating that the heavy metals originated from anthropogenic sources. The risk indexes at three sampling points were greater than 300, indicating high potential ecological risk. Two probable effect concentration quotient values greater than 0.5, suggesting potential toxicity to certain sediment-dwelling organisms. Identification and evalution heavy metals could assist in improvement of the water quality, and support management strategies to restore the environment.