Arsenic in groundwater affected by phosphate fertilizers at São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

This paper studies metalloid mobility in soils produced by conventional farming methods. The mobility of arsenic in soils depends on several factors including redox potential, soil mineralogy, pH, and the presence of other anions that compete with As for soil retention sites, for example, phosphate. Phosphate enhances the mobility of As in soils by competing for adsorption sites. Arsenic may accumulate in soil through the application of fertilizers. Ingestion of inorganic arsenic contained in drinking water is known to cause cancer. Studies were carried out in an area of Jundiai, Sao Paulo in Brazil with high arsenic levels in natural water from domestic wells. The mobility of arsenic in the soil of Jundiai was studied in the period 1998–2001. The application of phosphate fertilizers on a wide scale is a common agricultural practice. Based on data from the field and laboratory experiments, the deterioration of soil and groundwater quality is a result mainly of fertilizer use due to excessive P application, overdosing of soil with phosphate, and undesirable additions of arsenic in P fertilizers.