Levels of zinc, cadmium and lead in some marine algae from Aqaba-Red Sea.

Jordan has witnessed a rapid industrial development in the last twenty years. This has lead to the release of waste materials or pollutants into the marine environment, particularly nearby Aqaba Port. The present study investigates the levels of zinc, cadmium and lead in four brown algae, three red algae and four green algal species collected from Aqaba. Three different levels of lead and zinc concentrations were found: the highest level of both metals is exhibited among brown algae; intermediate level is exhibited among red algae and the lowest level is seen among the green algae. Very low concentrations of cadmium were found in all examined algal species. The results indicate that the brown algal species Cystosira myrica, Sargassum asperifolium, Sargassum neglectum, and Sargassum subrepandum always contain the highest concentrations of lead and zinc, but these algae are less contaminated than brown algae from industrial European seas.