SANTO DOMINGO.– The Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) presented a preliminary investigation that evaluated the presence of heavy metals in the sands of urban beaches in Punta Cana and Las Terrenas, whose results show a low ecological risk, although they recommend maintaining continuous monitoring due to the growth of tourist activity.
The study "Evaluation of metal levels in urban beach sands of Las Terrenas and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic" was presented by Dr. Jenny Gómez Ávila, who explained that this constitutes the first approach to determine the concentrations of iron, nickel, copper and lead in these two important coastal areas of the country, where until now there was no research on this type of pollution.
“Until now, the concentration of metals in the sands of these two regions had not been studied. The objective of this work was to determine the concentrations of iron, nickel, copper, and lead, evaluate the enrichment factors, and compare them with the sediment quality standards of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” explained Gómez Ávila. Researchers Carolina Campagna Sánchez, Ramón Delanoy, Gabriela Grad, Edgardo Bonzi, and Jorge Torres-Díaz also participated in this project.
The study analyzed samples collected from five beaches in Punta Cana and five in Las Terrenas during December 2024, with the aim of comparing areas of high tourist activity with others of lesser anthropogenic influence. The samples were processed using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to determine the concentration of the metals present.
Main findings
Among the main findings, the study determined that nickel and copper levels were relatively constant across all sites analyzed, while zinc showed greater variability, registering the highest concentrations in Bahía del Cortecito and Playa Blanca, possibly associated with human activities such as wastewater discharges, hotel maintenance, and urban runoff. Lead remained at low levels, even below natural reference values.
"In the case of zinc, it was highly variable and could be related to anthropogenic sources, wastewater, among other factors. In the case of lead, it was even below background concentration levels," Gómez Ávila indicated.
When comparing the results with the EPA's sediment quality guidelines, the researcher explained that the copper and nickel values exceed the minimum levels at which biological effects could occur, although they remain below the levels considered likely to have an effect, thus reducing the possibility of significant environmental impacts.
Expand the investigation
Furthermore, the enrichment factor analysis showed moderate nickel contamination, severe copper enrichment in some areas, and moderate to severe zinc enrichment, with Punta Cana exhibiting the highest levels compared to Las Terrenas. In conclusion, the researcher emphasized that, although the currently detected levels represent a low ecological risk, it is necessary to expand the investigation to include other potentially toxic metals, conduct sampling at different times of the year, and establish ongoing monitoring to assess the relationship between the growth of tourism and environmental pollution.
“The implications include a low ecological risk. The recommendations are to regularly monitor these sites, expand the study to include other metals, and conduct sampling at different stations to correlate the growth of tourist activity with potential levels of pollution, not to reduce tourism, but to take preventive measures to avoid pollution,” Gómez Ávila concluded.
Recommended reading:
