Stream and lake sediments can become contaminated with heavy metals due to natural occurrences or anthropogenic factors such as waste disposal and steel manufacturing processes. Among these contaminants, lead (Pb) is a neurotoxin that can reach high c...
Stream and lake sediments can become contaminated with heavy metals due to natural occurrences or anthropogenic factors such as waste disposal and steel manufacturing processes. Among these contaminants, lead (Pb) is a neurotoxin that can reach high concentrations, posing negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Lead has the capability to form complexes with fine sediments and organic matter, with its binding strength showing a high correlation with pH and organic matter content. In this study, we estimated the contamination levels of Pb in sediment using electrical resistivity measurements and multivariate statistical techniques. Sediments were appropriately collected and analyzed for total content using aqua regia extraction. The electrical resistivity of sediments was measured using a Sample Core Induced Polarization (SCIP) tester. Collected geochemical and geophysical data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis to interpret causal relationships between different domains of data and derive regression equations. Based on the derived equations, the study performed estimation and verification of Pb contamination levels based on electrical properties.