HEAVY-METAL LEVELS IN MARINE-SEDIMENTS OF SINGAPORE

Marine environmental levels of the metals copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were measured from sediments collected around 2 0 coastal locations around Singapore, over a 2-year period. Sediment-s ize analysis was conducted on sediment samples, and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry was used in the analyses of sediment heavy metal con centrations. The levels of heavy metals in marine sediment was largely dependant on sediment particle size, as illustrated by the correlatio n of sediment size with Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) configurations of sediment metal concentrations. In addition, the proximity to shippi ng activity, and the release of anti-fouling paint from boats also inf luence heavy metal concentrations in marine sediments of Singapore.