Metal contamination of sediment by paint peeling from abandoned boats, with particular reference to lead

•Fragments of paint have been sampled from abandoned boats in eastern England.•XRF analysis of fragments reveals variable concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn.•Local contamination of sediment is attributed to peeling paint.•Pb is of greatest concern from both environmental and human health perspectives.

Fragments of flaking paint have been sampled from eighteen boats (including sailing barges, houseboats, a trawler and a ferry) abandoned on the intertidal mudflats of two estuaries in eastern England and analysed for Cu, Pb and Zn by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. Median concentrations of Pb on each boat ranged from about 350 to 35,000 μg g− 1, with individual concentrations exceeding 200,000 μg g− 1 in several cases. Median concentrations of Cu and Zn ranged from about 50 to 1900 μg g− 1 and 50 to 10,000 μg g− 1, respectively, with respective maxima of 172,000 μg g− 1 and 239,000 μg g− 1. Because of peeling paint, local sediment (analysed by ICP following acid digestion) was often measurably contaminated by the metals and, based on median, Al-normalised enrichment factors, in the order Pb > Zn > Cu. Due to its abundance and persistence in old paints, Pb is of greatest concern from both environmental and human health perspectives.