Determination and comparison of heavy metals in selected seafood, water, vegetation and sediments by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry from an industrialized and pristine waterway in Southwest Louisiana

Samples of crab, fish, sediments, vegetation and waters were collected from a pristine (Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge) and historically polluted (Bayou d'Inde) waterway in Southwest Louisiana. After sample preparation via microwave digestion to obtain a solution, cadmium, mercury, nickel and lead were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. A comparison of results showed that there was very little difference in concentrations for the four metals between the two areas, typically in the 10 μg/g range for crabs and fish, around 0.05 μg/mL or lower for waters, and somewhat higher for sediments and vegetation of around two to three times.