Hydrogeochemical evaluation of Western Anatolian mineral waters

Turkey lies on the Alpine-Himalayan belt which is one of the most important geothermal belts in the World. Therefore, there are numerous mineral waters in Anatolia where geological and tectonic activities are intense. Archeological studies conducted in Anatolia, which is the cradle of various civilizations, reveal the fact that mineral water has been used as a spa in many areas.The scope of this study is to evaluate mineral waters in Western Anatolia and their use in thermal resorts for balneological purposes. In this respect, 50 thermal waters used in spa centers were analyzed for various physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters.Among the 50 waters tested, 40 are thermomineral waters while 10 are acratothermal waters. Some of these waters have distinct chemical compositions. Their temperatures are between 21 and 90 °C. Various types of mineral water source occur within this region: 5 of these are sulfurous, 1 has carbon dioxide, 29 have fluorine, 1 has iodine and 3 are saliferous. The thermomineral sources with saline characteristics have balneotherapy potential for treating skin illnesses including psoriasis and rheumatological illnesses.Some waters with appreciable bicarbonate and sulfate concentrations can also be used for balneotherapy; for example for use as a cure for chronic inflammatory diseases of gastrointestinal and urinary systems. They could also be used as a cure for prophylactic and metaphylactic treatment of urolithiasis.However, among 38 sampling sites, 12 sites are bacteriologically contaminated. This indicates that regulations governing the protection of such zones are not properly enforced and that water sources within these regions are not sufficiently protected or inspected.