ARSENIC CONTAMINATION OF DOMESTIC WATER IN DAKNONG PROVINCE, VIETNAM: SITUATION AND HUMAN HEALTH CONCERNS

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Abstract

Arsenic (As) is listed as a human carcinogen, and As groundwater contamination is a significant health problem in many regions of the world. In the past few years, high concentrations of As in ground water have been discovered in some areas in Vietnam. In 2017, a report of Preventive Medicine Center of Daknong showed that the high As concentrations were found in both treated and untreated ground water samples in some areas belonged to this province. In this study, a total of 651 water samples (83 treated water, 114 surface water, and 455 ground water samples) and 100 duplicate samples were collected in Daknong. All samples were measured pH before preservation by 2% HNO₃ acid until analyzing As by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. According to the results, the high As concentrations, which exceeded the Vietnamese drinking water and domestic water limit for As (10 µg/L) were found in 19 samples. Moreover, one treated water sample from a water supply center presented a high As concentration (greater than 10 µg/L). Three hazard quotient values presented greater than 1 suggested that the water from those wells should not be used for drinking without proper treatment measures.