Arsenic enrichment in sediment on the eastern continental shelf of Brazil

Arsenic (As) enrichment at the southeast Brazilian Atlantic shelf before the released of the ore tailing at the studied area. The blue panel is the Doce River whatershed affected by the ore tailing, which drain to the Doce River continental sheves at the tropical south Atlantic area (red panel). The total and reactive As content increase at the period of gold exploitation (yellow lines) in river watershed and leads to a severe As enrichment (EF) at this region. Brazilian legislation designates the level below which there is low probability of a negative effect of As exposure to biota as level 1 (19 mg/kg) and level 2 (70 mg/kg) is the level above which the probability of negative effect is high.358