Heavy metals

Ecological sites

Mean

(n = 50)

F-Value

LSD_0.05

^*Egyptian law No. 48/1982

Site 1 (n = 20)

Site 2 (n = 20)

Site 3 (n = 10)

Sediments (mg/kg)

Fe

28.61^a ± 0.43

28.63^a ± 0.53

26.25^b ± 0.50

27.83 ± 0.49

14.26

1.45^***

-

Mn

17.40^a ± 0.24

16.94^a ± 0.24

16.99^a ± 0.33

17.11 ± 0.27

1.18

0.83^ns

-

Zn

4.79^b ± 0.14

5.45^a ± 0.14

2.901^c ± 0.24

4.38 ± 0.17

52.64

0.55^***

-

Cu

4.31^b ± 0.15

5.10^a ± 0.14

2.89^c ± 0.21

4.1 ± 0.17

39.46

0.55^***

-

Pb

4.77^b ± 0.13

5.47^a ± 0.12

3.35^c ± 0.26

4.53 ± 0.17

35.43

0.56^***

-

Ni

2.68^a ± 0.10

2.79^a ± 0.08

1.68^b ± 0.14

2.38 ± 0.11

22.69

0.37^***

-

Cd

0.49^a ± 0.08

0.40^a ± 0.05

0.47^a ± 0.15

0.45 ± 0.09

0.033

0.32^ns

-

Co

0.67^a ± 0.06

0.47^a ± 0.05

0.69^a ± 0.12

0.61 ± 0.08

1.95

0.27^ns

-

Water (mg/l)

Fe

0.44^a ± 0.02

0.33^b ± 0.01

0.47^a ± 0.01

0.41 ± 0.01

11.25

0.07^***

≤1.0

Mn

0.10^b ± 0.01

0.10^b ± 0.01

0.27^a ± 0.01

0.16 ± 0.01

53.59

0.04^***

≤0.5

Zn

0.09^b ± 0.00

0.07^a ± 0.01

0.03^c ± 0.00

0.06 ± 0.00

47.88

0.013^***

≤1.0

Cu

0.04^a ± 0.00

0.05^a ± 0.00

0.06^a ± 0.00

0.05 ± 0.00

1.43

0.015^ns

≤1.0

Pb

0.06^b ± 0.00

0.06^b ± 0.00

0.10^a ± 0.01

0.07 ± 0.00

20.30

0.013^***

≤0.05

Ni

0.03^a ± 0.00

0.03^a ± 0.00

0.03^a ± 0.00

0.03 ± 0.00

3.2

0.009^ns

-

Cd

0.03^b ± 0.00

0.03^b ± 0.00

0.04^a ± 0.01

0.03 ± 0.00

4.19

0.014^*

≤0.01

Co

0.03^b ± 0.00

0.04^b ± 0.00

0.07^a ± 0.00

0.41 ± 0.01

19.21

0.011^***

-