Quantification of Heavy Metal Levels in Sediments of the “Palizada” River in a Protected Natural Area of Southeastern Mexico

This chapter shows the results of the determination of the levels of Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), and Cadmium (Cd) in sediments of the “Palizada River”; evaluated by atomic absorption. The results show high levels of Fe, Mg, and Mn concerning previous studies and are directly related to agricultural and livestock activities in the area. The metal-metal correlation analysis show significant values, suggesting that the generation source is the same. Some of the pollutants produced by industrial or population centers; end up in natural water bodies; by different physical processes, such as precipitation, complex formation, and others. These contaminants can bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms and reach humans through the food chain. Certain heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) produced by human activities have been found in the oceans and the tissues of different organisms; which constitutes a risk for consumption; Cd is classified as an element that predisposes to the presence of Cancer. Therefore, the study of sediments is fundamental for determining the degree of contamination of an ecosystem.