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The ‘Sea Diamond’ shipwreck: environmental impact assessment in the water column and sediments of the wreck area
Dimitrakakis, E.; Hahladakis, J. & Gidarakos, E.
Abstract
In the ‘Sea Diamond’ shipwreck, it is estimated
that almost 1.7 tons of batteries/accumulators and
approximately 150 cathode ray tube technology televisions
have gone to the bottom of the sea. Under these circumstances,
all the aforementioned materials will eventually
undergo severe accelerated corrosion. Consequently, a
variety of heavy metals will either be released in seawater
or precipitate in the form of salts resulting in contamination
of the sea sediments. According to the ship data, and the
aforementioned quantities of batteries and televisions, it is
estimated that approximately 75–80 g of mercury,
630–1,050 g of cadmium and 1.14–1.26 tons of lead exist
in the wreck only due to the electrical and electronic
equipment present in the ship, not to mention the significant
amount of heavy metals such as copper, nickel, ferrous
and chromium that exist in the hulk. Four series of seawater
sampling (n = 85) were conducted in different stations
surrounding the wreck area in order to assess the
overall impact from the release of heavy metals in the
surrounding aquatic environment. The analysis indicated
that there were stations where lead, zinc and cadmium were
present in concentrations higher than the permissible limits
set by the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency
for seawater. Furthermore, the analysis of three series of
sediment sampling (n = 31) from the wreck area showed
elevated but expected concentration values for ferrous and
manganese, considering the geological background of the
area and contamination with lead, copper and cadmium.
Keywords
Heavy metals; Seawater contamination; Sediment contamination; Shipwreck
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