Quantification of metals found in the soluble fraction of oil spilled on the Northeast Coast in 2019 Juliana dos Santos Pereira, Iara Costa Souza, Camilo Dias Seabra Pereira, Helen Sadauskas-Henrique

Abstract

The Brazilian coast suffered in 2019 a huge disaster that culminated in the contamination of crude oil on the beaches of the Northeastern Coast and beaches of the Southeast region. The oil caused the death of several coastal and marine organisms and brought financial losses to fishing communities due to the restriction on the sale of consumption of animals that had contact with this oil. The present study identified and quantified the metals in the 100% soluble fraction of the oil spilled in 2019. The sample collected in the accident region showed a concentration of 28 metals in its 100% soluble fraction, 24 of which were above detection levels. Some of the metals identified in the present study are described in the literature as having high potential to cause harm to animals and human health.