Monitoring the Houston Ship Channel for inorganic pollutants by ion selective electrodes, ion chromatograpy, and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy

Inorganic pollutants including anions, cations and trace metals were monito red in the surface water of the Houston Ship Channel. The analyses were car ried out using ion chromatography (IC), ion selective electrodes (ISE), and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP). Pollutant composit ion varied according to sampling sites and seasonal variations. Nickel, chr omium, and arsenic were found throughout the ship channel at an average con centration of 1160 +/- 325, 245 +/- 26 and 621 +/- 78 mu g/L for the wester n end of the channel; 511 +/- 48, 407 +/- 50, and 545 +/- 42 mu g/L for the middle section of the channel; and 134 +/- 12, 122 +/- 16, and 645 +/- 33 mu g/L for the eastern end of the channel, respectively. Cyanide, ammonia, and nitrite were present at lower levels averaging 5 +/- 3, 230 +/- 20 and 260 +/- 30 mu g/L for the western end of the channel; 32 +/- 5, 1210 +/- 60 , and 540 +/- 30 mu g/L for the middle section of the channel; and 6 +/- 2, 590 +/- 40, and 340 +/- 20 mu g/L for the eastern end of the channel, resp ectively. Phosphate and nitrate concentrations were present at very lout le vels consistent with the reported low level of eutrophication in the Housto n Ship Channel. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.