Heavy metal distribution in volcanic Hawaiian sediment from 5 million years ago to present | Poster Board #834

The increase in heavy metal contamination in the marine and terrestrial environments of the Pacific basin has raised concerns, as studies continue to display evidence of heavy metal bioaccumulation and chronic toxicity. Volcanism is a major source of the distribution of toxic heavy metals through rock formation and weathering. The main Hawaiian Islands (State of Hawaii) were formed by hot spot activity in the central northern Pacific Ocean, where upwelling of a magmatic plume containing heavy metals solidified into an archipelago of volcanic islands over a 5-million-year period. The combination of natural and anthropogenic metal(loid) sources give rise to the critical need to assess the heavy metal concentrations that could affect the flora and fauna residing in these biologically diverse areas. The concentrations of 17 heavy metals (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mo, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, V, Zn) were analyzed via Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) in sediments from remote and developed locations on four Hawaiian Islands - Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Hawaii. Sediment concentrations exceeded the Elemental Action Level (EAL) for Co (23 µg/g) and the Upper Bound Concentration (UBC) for Co (80 µg/g), Hg (0.72 µg/g), Ni (410 µg/g), and Mn (4880 µg/g) as established by the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH). A set of ecological indices including geo-accumulation, pollution load, and potential ecological risk were calculated for each location to better determine the effects of heavy metal contamination in the state of Hawaii.