scholarly journals SEASONAL VARIATION OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER AND SOIL IN THE M’NASRA REGION (GHARB, MOROCCO)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 813-822
Author(s):  
Serine OMRANIA ◽  
Najib EL KHODRANI ◽  
Mbark LAHMAR ◽  
Ahmed DOUAIK ◽  
Hamza IAAICH ◽  
...  

M’nasra region is well known for increasing levels of heavy metal pollution in the environment, mainly due to waste discharge of Ouled Berjal, the irrational use of fertilizers, and the discharge of waste from several industries. The objective of this study was to access the seasonal variations in the groundwater and soil quality with respect to heavy metal pollution. Water samples from wells and samples from soil near them were taken during wet (January - March 2017) and dry (July 2017) seasons and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Contamination factor for each heavy metal and Nemerow pollution index was calculated. Results of the study revealed a decrease in pollution degree from wet to dry for soil and an increase in the case of groundwater. Cu had the lowest and Ni had the highest concentration in irrigation water whereas, for soil, Cd had the lowest and Zn had the highest concentration. During the wet season, all the concentrations of heavy metals decreased compared to the dry season, this can be explained by the dilution of these concentrations by precipitation water and therefore to lower absorption of these heavy metals in the water of irrigations and/or soil. Vertical transfer of pollutants from topsoil to groundwater was assessed using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis to identify associations between heavy metals and soil texture. In the case of Ni and Cr, the variables corresponding to the concentrations from soil and groundwater were part of the same cluster, in both seasons, the distribution maps of concentrations confirmed the pattern of transfer. This study can be considered as a baseline for the seasonal variation of heavy metal pollution of groundwater and soil. This study can be used not only for monitoring the study area but also as a tool for the implementation of environmental protection policies.

Author(s):  
Defri Yona ◽  
Syarifah Hikmah Julinda Sari ◽  
Anedathama Kretarta ◽  
Citra Ravena Putri Effendy ◽  
Misba Nur Aini ◽  
...  

This study attempted to analyze the distribution and contamination status of heavy metals (Cu, Fe and Zn) along western coast of Bali Strait in Banyuwangi, East Java. Bali Strait is one of the many straits in Indonesia with high fisheries activities that could potentially contributed to high heavy metal pollution. There were five sampling areas from the north to south: Pantai Watu Dodol, Pantai Kalipuro, Ketapang Port, Pantai Boom and Muncar as the fish landing area. Heavy metal pollution in these locations comes from many different activities such as tourism, fish capture and fish industry and also domestic activities. Contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF) of each heavy metal were calculated to obtain contamination status of the research area. The concentrations of Fe were observed the highest (1.5-129.9 mg/kg) followed by Zn (13.2-23.5 mg/kg) and Cu (2.2-7.8 mg/kg). The distribution of Cu, Fe and Zn showed variability among the sampling locations in which high concentrations of Cu and Zn were higher in Ketapang Port, whereas high concentration of Fe was high in almost all sampling locations. According to the pollution index, contamination factors of Cu, Fe and Zn were low (CF < 1 and Igeo < 1). However, high index of EF (> 50) showed high influence of the anthropogenic activities to the contribution of the metals to the environment. This could also because of the high background value used in the calculation of the index due to the difficulties in finding background value from the sampling areas.Keywords: heavy metals, pollution index, contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, Bali Strait


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11853
Author(s):  
Xingyong Zhang ◽  
Qixin Wu ◽  
Shilin Gao ◽  
Zhuhong Wang ◽  
Shouyang He

Heavy metals are released into the water system through various natural processes and anthropogenic activities, thus indirectly or directly endangering human health. The distribution, source, water quality and health risk assessment of dissolved heavy metals (V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Mo, Sb) in major rivers in Wuhan were analyzed by correlation analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR). The results showed that the spatial variability of heavy metal contents was pronounced. PCA and CA results indicated that natural sources controlled Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Mo, and industrial emissions were the dominant factor for V, Zn and Sb, while As was mainly from the mixed input of urban and agricultural activities. According to the heavy metal pollution index (HPI, ranging from 23.74 to 184.0) analysis, it should be noted that As and Sb contribute most of the HPI values. The health risk assessment using HI and CR showed that V and Sb might have a potential non-carcinogenic risk and As might have a potential carcinogenic risk to adults and children in the study area (CR value exceeded target risk 10−4). At the same time, it was worth noting that As might have a potential non-carcinogenic risk for children around QLR (HI value exceeded the threshold value 1). The secular variation of As and Sb should be monitor in high-risk areas. The results of this study can provide important data for improving water resources management efficiency and heavy metal pollution prevention in Wuhan.


Author(s):  
Mahsa Jahangiri-rad ◽  
Mohsen Shariati ◽  
Mahdieh Yaaghoubi ◽  
Ali Haghmoradkhani ◽  
Abbas Akbarzadeh

Introduction: Inappropriate management of mining activities may bring about water pollution and pose a heavy complication on aquatic ecosystem and humans. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of Qorveh gold mining activities on the quality of nearby groundwater. Materials and Methods: The concentration of seven eco-toxic metals along with some general hydrochemical parameters were investigated for 27 sampling stations in the study area using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and conventional hydrochemical methods. The analysis results were further applied to compute pollution indices, namely heavy metal pollution index (HPI) for irrigation purposes. Results: The main elements were within the World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian National Water Standards (INWS) for irrigation water quality, except for NH4+ in some sampling points. The concentration of heavy metals followed the order Cu > Zn > Pb > Hg > Cd > As. The contents of Hg, As, Cd, and Cu in most sites were higher than the recommended values. Except for two stations, the value of HPI based on the mean concentration was found to be far beyond the critical pollution index value of 100, suggesting that the area is highly polluted with some heavy metals. Conclusion: Elevated concentration of trace elements found in groundwater of this area represented the release of harmful elements from gold mining activities on surrounding environment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1139-1145
Author(s):  
Singla Chetan ◽  
Sanjay T. Satpute ◽  
Garg Sunil

The objective of the study was to reveal the seasonal variations in the groundwater quality with respect to heavy metals contamination near Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana district. To get the extent of trace metals contamination, groundwater samples from tube wells were randomly collected from 16 different points on both sides along the course of Buddha Nullah from areas of Bhamian Kalan, Khasi Kalan and Wallipur Kalan villages of Ludhiana district during first fortnight of June (Pre-monsoon), first fortnight of November (Post-monsoon) and first fortnight of January (Winter season) during the year 2013-14. The concentrations of toxic and heavy metals such as metalloids B, As, Pb; alkaline earth metals Mg, Ca; alkali metals Na, K; transition metals Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd and nonmetal S were determined. The heavy metal pollution index (HPI) was calculated. Most of the parameters were found within permissible limit of BIS, 2004. The average values of concentration of Ca, Cr, Mn, As and Pb for pre-monsoon season was higher than average concentration of post-monsoon and winter season. Overall HPI calculated based on the mean concentration of the heavy metals was found to be 18.11, 15.32 and 16.10 for pre-monsoon, post-monsoon and winter season, respectively, which was below the critical pollution index value of 100. The study recommended proper treatment to the sewage water which is being discharged into the Buddha Nullah.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nusreta Djonlagic

In this study the results of a 15-year long monitoring survey on heavy metals in water at Lake Modrac were assessed using pollution indices of heavy metals, such as Heavy metal pollution index HPI, Heavy metal evaluation index HEI and the Degree of contamination CD. The results of the survey on heavy metal pollution of sediment conducted in 2015 were used as input data for the following pollution indices: Concentration factor , Pollution load index PLI, Enrichment factor EF, Index of geo-accumulation Igeo, Ecological risk factor , Potential ecological risk index to the water-body, RI. The results showed a good correlation and the lake sediment was characterized as polluted. Enrichment factors and indices of geo-accumulation of heavy metals were indicated as very high enriched in the sediment, and have been identified as an anthropogenic source of pollution. Cumulative presence in the sediment is assessed through the pollution index, RI, and has been assessed as moderate ecological risk to the lake water-body. The application of pollution indices presents a valuable tool in assessing the long-term pollution status of Lake Modrac.


2013 ◽  
Vol 295-298 ◽  
pp. 1586-1593
Author(s):  
Xiao Qing Zhao ◽  
Hong Hui Yang ◽  
Jian Chen

Based on the farmland soils along the Bijiang River, a main tributary of the international Lantsang-Mekong River flowing through the Jinding Lead-Zinc Deposit, this dissertation makes analyses on the pollution characteristics of spatial variation in farmland soils by adopting the soil sampling and testing analysis and applying single-factor pollution index (SPI) evaluation and Nemerow composite pollution index (NCPI) evaluation. The results indicate that: (1) In accordance with Environmental Quality Standard for Soils (II), the content of Cd contained in the farmland soils has severely exceeded the standard in a large scale, followed by Pb and Zn. However, the content of As is maintained within the specified standard; (2)The SPI values of soils are in the following sequence: Cd>Zn>Pb>As. The pollution level caused by the heavy metal “Cd” to the farmland soils is extremely heavy in a wide range, and a majority of the farmlands are heavily polluted by Zn. The farmlands with moderate pollution by Pb are centered at Plot 2 in the deposit, and only a few farmland soils are moderately polluted by As at Plot 2 in the deposit;(3) Based on the NCPI, the results indicate that the NCPI of the farmland soils has reached to the degree of heavy pollution; (4) It is indicated based on the RPI evaluation that the RPI values of As, Cd, Pb and Zn contained in the farmland soils have exceeded the standard in the following sequence: Pb>Zn>Cd>As, which illustrates that during the development of Jinding Lead-Zinc Deposit in Lanping County, the heavy metals imposing the most profound influence on the soil pollution are Pb and Zn. The heavy metal pollution in the farmland soils from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the Bijiang River is not only caused by the development of Jinding Lead-Zinc Deposit in Lanping County, but is also associated with its high soil background value;(5) There is a remarkable spatial variation of heavy metal pollution in farmland soils from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the Bijiang River. Both the SPI and the NCPI values of heavy metals in the soils within the deposit at the upper reaches of the Bijiang River are the lowest; the pollution index of the soils closest to the deposit are the highest, and the pollution index of the soils with a certain distance from the deposit drops swiftly; the pollution index of Plot 4 rises to a certain degree at the middle reaches, and gradually ascends near the Yunlong County seat at Plot 5, however, with a comparatively small growth rates.


Author(s):  
Kunyang Li ◽  
Song Cui ◽  
Fuxiang Zhang ◽  
Rupert Hough ◽  
Qiang Fu ◽  
...  

Heavy metal pollution in the river environment has been a source of widespread interest due to potential threats to human health and ecosystem security. Many studies have looked at heavy metal pollution in the context of single source-pathway-receptor relationships, however few have sought to understand pollution from a more wholistic multi-media perspective. To investigate potential risks in a more wholistic way, concentrations of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) were detected in multi-media (water, sediment and riparian soil) collected from 14 sampling sites in the main stream of the Songhua River. Chemical analyses indicated that the average concentration of heavy metals in water followed: Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd, with a different trend observed in sediments and riparian soil: Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cd. The potential risk was evaluated using the heavy metal pollution index (HPI), Nemerow pollution index (PN), hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR) metrics. Results showed that all HPI values were lower than the critical level of 100 indicating that the levels of these targeted heavy metals were within drinking water safety limits. The PN indicated that both sediment (2.64) and soil (2.95) could be considered “moderately polluted”, with Cd and Zn providing the most significant contributions. A human health risk assessment suggested that the non-carcinogenic risks were within acceptable levels (HI < 1), as was the cancer risk associated with dermal adsorption (CR <10−6). However, the CR associated with ingestion exposure (4.58 × 10−6) exceeded the cancer risk threshold (10−6) indicative of elevated cancer incidence in exposed populations. Health-risk estimates were primarily associated with Cd in the Songhua River. Source apportionment was informed by Pearson correlation analysis coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) which indicated that Cu was mainly derived from natural (geogenic) sources; Cr and Ni were associated with industrial emissions; Pb might be derived from agricultural and transportation sources; Zn might be from industrial, agricultural activities and transportation; while Cd is likely from industrial and agricultural emissions. The source apportionment information could provide the basis for a risk-management strategy focused on reducing Cd and Zn emissions to the riverine environment. Results from this study will provide the scientific knowledge that is needed for measuring and controlling heavy metals sources and pollution characteristics, and identifying the potential cancer risk with different exposure pathways, as well as making effective environmental management policies at catchment or regional scales.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Tanya Vasileva

Ground waters may undergo a process of contamination in various ways, but the presence and amount of heavy metals in them can be indicative of their purity and usage. Apart from that, the heavy metals are among the most widely spread pollutants in nature, and their presence in groundwater indicates the existence of natural or anthropogenic sources of contamination. Ground waters polluted with heavy metals can also be very toxic and harmful to human health, and very damaging to the environment as well. In this article, the concentrations of eight toxic heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Al, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr) were analyzed in the ground waters of the Mesta River Basin. A number of data for the concentrations of those heavy metals were used in order to calculate the following two indices describing groundwater purity: the Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI), and the Metal Index (MI). Both indices describe the overall quality of groundwater in direct relationship to the sum total of heavy metal concentrations. On one hand, minimal concentrations of heavy metals are necessary for the faultless functioning of organisms and indispensable to various biochemical processes, but on the other hand, in high concentrations, they might lead to dysfunctions in the cells of healthy organisms, and problems within their enzyme system. And these effects are entirely dependent upon the nature of the heavy metals involved. The research carried out so far shows that, according to HPI, about 65% of the shallow ground waters in the Mesta River Basin can be classified as being of excellent quality. The values obtained for the HPI are in the range of 3 to 64 (id est under the critical value of 100), or the groundwater is not contaminated with heavy metals. The MI varies within the range of 0.3 to 2.6, and therefore the groundwater from the zones with active water exchange can be characterized as being of slight to medium poor quality (41%), and the groundwater within Class II (or classified as pure with values of MI between 0.3 and 1.0) comprise approximately 59% of the overall catchment area.


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