Characterization of arsenic-contaminated groundwater and human health risk assessment in Vietnam

The characteristics of arsenic-contaminated groundwater were investigated and the potential risks from groundwater were evaluated in Vietnam. Arsenic contamination in groundwater was found in Ha Nam Province in the northern part of Vietnam. Since groundwater has been used as one of the main drinking water sources in this region, groundwater （n=10） and hair （n=15） samples were collected in the Vinh Tru district, Ha Nam Province, during February of 2006. At the site, the concentrations of anions and silica were analyzed and As（Ⅲ） and As（Ⅴ） species in groundwater were separated with disposable arsenic speciation cartridge. The concentrations of arsenic in groundwater ranged from 13 to 582 μg/L （mean=366 μg/L）. According to the results of arsenic speciation, approximately 90% of arsenic in groundwater existed as As（Ⅲ） species. Average concentrations of iron and manganese were 18 and 0.7 mg/L, respectively. All samples exceeded the Vietnamese drinking water standard of 10μg/L for arsenic and 0.5 mg/L for iron. Also 70% of the groundwater samples were above the Vietnamese drinking water standard of 0.5 mg/L for manganese. However, a real intake of arsenic to human is less than analyzed arsenic concentration because sand filtration units are used to remove iron and arsenic in groundwater in this region. After treatment, arsenic concentrations decreased from 〈1 to 82 μg/L （mean=33 μg/L）. The concentrations of arsenic in hair samples and treated groundwater were compared. Especially, arsenic concentrations in female hair samples and treated groundwater had significantly positive correlation with the Spearman correlation of 0.88 and the P-value of 0.001. Based on the arsenic concentrations in treated groundwater, the assessment of human health risks was conducted.

Characterization of arsenic-contaminated groundwater and human health risk assessment in Vietnam