Arsenic and fluoride in a loess aquifer in the central area of Argentina

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the geochemical conditions associated with the presence of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) in the phreatic aquifer of Coronel Moldes, in the central sector of the Argentine Chacopampean plain. The studied aquifer is composed of silty sand sediments of aeolian origin, typically loess-like sediments. The geochemical composition of water varies from sodium bicarbonate to sodium sulfate-chloride water. As contents range from low concentrations, below detection level, to 250 μg/l. High values of F (up to 12 mg/l) were recorded. A high As–F correlation was found (R 2 = 0.84). The pH varied from 7.31 to 8.85 and the nitrates reached concentrations up to 200 mg/l, indicating an oxidant environment. The highest values of As and F agreed with sodium bicarbonate waters as well as with the highest values of pH recorded. There was a high correlation between As and F− as well as between As and the Na/Ca ratio. The composition and texture of loess, low permeability and hydraulic gradients together with the geochemical features of sodium bicarbonate waters are proper conditions for the mobilization of As and F in groundwater in the central area of Argentina.