Iron analyses and steel production records were combined to establish a historical profile of pollutant levels in sediments from the Santos-Cubatão estuarine system (São Paulo-Brazil) over past 45 years (1959 to 2004). Iron signature through a sediment core (260-cm long) showed a strong correlation with steel plant activities in the Morrão River. The deeper sediments (>90 cm), which were deposited before 1976, contain lower iron concentrations (5.26 ± 0.69%) and average sedimentation rate of 7.6 cm y -1. This could be related to a period of low industrial production and increasing construction in the Cubatão industrial complex. Sediments at 90-40 cm depth show higher concentrations of iron (up to 32.52%) and average sedimentation rate of 6.6 cm y -1. This evidenced the increasing steel production and the discharge of industrial waste between 1977 and 1983. 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