Arsenic and other trace elements contamination in groundwater and a risk assessment study for the residents in the Kandal Province of Cambodia

Concentrations of arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater were examined at three villages (PT, POT and CHL) in the Kandal Province of Cambodia. Concentrations of arsenic in the groundwater ranged from 6.64 (in POT village) to 1543 μg/L (in PT village), with average and median concentrations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironment international Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 455 - 460
Main Authors Luu, Thi Thu Giang, Sthiannopkao, Suthipong, Kim, Kyoung-Woong
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2009
Subjects
Arsenic
Arsenic - analysis
Arsenic - toxicity
Barium
Cambodia
Groundwater
Humans
Kandal Province
Lead
Manganese
Risk Assessment
Rural Population
Soil
Trace Elements - analysis
Trace Elements - toxicity
Water Pollution, Chemical
Cambodia
Cambodia, Kandal Prov
Lead
Barium
Kandal Province
Arsenic
Groundwater
Manganese
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Summary:Concentrations of arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater were examined at three villages (PT, POT and CHL) in the Kandal Province of Cambodia. Concentrations of arsenic in the groundwater ranged from 6.64 (in POT village) to 1543 μg/L (in PT village), with average and median concentrations of 552 and 353 μg/L, respectively. About 86% out of fifteen samples contained arsenic concentrations exceeding the WHO drinking water guidelines of 10 μg/L. Concentrations of arsenic (III) varied from 4 (in POT village) to 1334 μg/L (in PT village), with an average concentration of 470 μg/L. In addition, about 67%, 80% and 86% of the groundwater samples had higher concentrations for, respectively, barium, manganese and lead than the WHO drinking water guidelines. These results reveal that groundwater in Kandal Province is not only considerably contaminated with arsenic but also with barium, manganese and lead. A risk assessment study found that one sample (PT25) had a cumulative arsenic concentration (6758 mg) slightly higher than the threshold level (6750 mg) that could cause internal cancer in smelter workers with chronic exposure to arsenic from groundwater. High cumulative arsenic ingestion poses a health threat to the residents of Kandal Province.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0160-4120
1873-6750
DOI:10.1016/j.envint.2008.07.013