Decline in heavy metal contamination in marine sediments in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia due to increasing environmental regulations

The 210Pb geochronology, heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, and Pb), and stable Pb isotope ratios (206Pb/207Pb) of three sediment cores collected from Jakarta Bay were analyzed to decipher the history of heavy metal contamination in the period 1900–2006. The chemical and isotopic analyses clearly suggest that anthropogenic metal accumulation in the sediments began in the 1920s and increased greatly from the 1970s until the end of the 1990s. From the end of the 1990s to 2006, accumulation rates were constant or decreased for Zn and Pb near the coastal industrialized area. Comparison of economic data and sociological information suggests that the decline in the concentrations of heavy metals could be attributed to the stricter environmental regulations which were enforced at the end of 1990s. However, metal contamination is currently still an important cause of concern in dealing with environmental preservation and protection in Jakarta Bay.

► Reductions in heavy metal contamination were rarely reported or discussed in coastal Asian developing metropolitan areas.
► This paper presents new findings on heavy metal contamination decline in Indonesia due to the recent establishment and compliance of environmental regulations.
►  The results of this study provide supportive information for the development of control strategies in these areas.