Analysis of Heavy Metal in Parangipettai and Pondicherry Coastal Waters, Southeast Coast of India

The presence of heavy metals in sea water causes hazardous impact on the marine organisms. There are number of toxic metals like Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg and Zn increasing levels in the sea water are of serious problem today. They are released in large concentration through effluent discharges from industries, metal processing, paints and pigment production, biocides production, and through domestic sewage from nearby villages. The present study deals with the heavy metals distribution Cd (0.26 to 1.78 µg 1-1), Cr (0.11 to 3.23 µg 1-1), Cu (1.08 to 1.96 µg 1-1), Hg (0.02 to 0.11 µg 1-1) and Zn (1.24 to 3.38 µg 1-1) in water of Parangipettai, Pondicherry coastal waters, southeast coast of India. Five metals including Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Mercury (Hg) and Zinc (Zn) were analyzed by microwave assisted digestion and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Concentrations of heavy metals such as Pb and Cd were well below the permissible limits proposed by the World Health Organization. These observations and ensuing inferences of this study are useful for managing pollution outfall from sewage and industrial sources into an aquatic environment. Hence, the coastal regions needed throughout impoundment.