The study of the ecological risk associated with the coastal sediments along the eastern coast of Chennai due to heavy metal pollutants

Contamination in the marine environment has become a serious issue mainly due to increased industrialization. The coastal sediments act as sink by adsorbing the heavy metal contaminants. The contaminants that accumulate in the sediments pose a threat to the aquatic flora and fauna. Hence it is becoming increasingly important to assess the quality of sediments which could serve as a baseline for future research in the study area. In the present study the sediment samples collected from Pulikcat lake to Vadanemelli along the eastern coast of Chennai have been assessed for their ecological risk. Pollution indices namely Contamination factor (Cf), Contamination degree (Cd) and Modified degree of contamination (mCd) have been used to assess the degree of contamination in the selected samples