Determination and Evaluation of Heavy Metals Pollution in Surface Sediments in the City of Minab

Background and Objectives: Sediments are an inseparable part of marine ecosystems, which like the historical archives, record the trend of heavy metals accumulations [1]. This paper aims to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in the regions (Kuhestak, Kargan and Kolahi) in Minab city - Hormozgan province and compare them in different stations and seasons from summer and winter of 1397.Materials and Methods: The positions of the samples was determined by GPS and sampling of surface sediments (tidal area) was carried out in 30 stations in the studied areas during the two time periods (summer and winter). To determine the concentrations of heavy metals, atomic absorption method was used and then, SPSS version 21 was used to compare the amounts of metals contaminations.Results: The mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in all sampling stations showed a significant difference (p-value <0.05). So that kolahi area had higher levels of contaminations (lead: 27.93 and cadmium: 1.89 micrograms per gram) than Kuhestak area (lead: 25.55 and cadmium: 1.15 micrograms per gram) and kargan (lead: 18.75 and Cadmium: 0.63 μg / g). Also, in all studied regions, the concentrations of lead and cadmium in summer was higher than in winter.Conclusion: Generally, according to the results, it can be admitted that although the sediments of the studied areas are not contaminated significantly with heavy metals, the arrival of urban and industrial sewage, the establishment of fish farming centers and export and import companies including heavy metals near the study areas , Can lead to pollution and non-compensatory consequences in the long run.