Abstract
In this study, leaching behaviors of heavy metals from the tsunami sediments by the Great East Japan Earthquake and their risks to human were evaluated. There were any samples in excess of Japanese criteria for the leaching values of arsenic and lead. The heavy metals content in the tsunami sediments were lower than Japanese criteria, which geometric means were calculated to be 1.1 mg/kg for arsenic, 6.7 mg/kg for lead, 0.064 mg/kg for cadmium and1.7 mg/kg for chromium. The risk levels of heavy metals in tsunami sediment to human health were not so much high, because the exposure rates, which were estimated to be 1.4×10-2 μg/kg/d for arsenic, 8.1×10-3 μg/kg/d for lead, 4.6×10-3 μg/kg/d for cadmium and 8.9×10-3 μg/kg/d for chromium, were much lower than their acceptable intakes.
