Assessing the trace element content in water samples from Badovci Lake (Kosovo) using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis

Abstract

The water quality of a lake at any point reflects several major influences, including the lithology of the basin, atmospheric and climatic conditions, and anthropogenic inputs. Surface water may contain heavy metals and organic pollutants as undesirable substances that are dangerous to human health and also may cause chronic diseases and various cancers. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine concentrations of 67 trace elements in water samples of Badovci Lake, which is an important source of drinking water in Kosovo. This area is known to be under the influence of a Pb–Zn ore field Hajvalia–Badovci–Kishnica and from improperly discharged sewage of surrounding villages, so the main objective of the current paper was to assess the impact of anthropogenic and natural activities on the water environment. Statistical methods were applied to determine possible anomalous values (extremes and outliers) for 10 ecotoxic elements (Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, As, Pb, Fe, Cd, U, and Cr). The use of boxplot method showed that only one outlier of Cd2+ (5.91 μg dm−3) and one extreme value of Zn2+ (78.9 μgdm−3) are present. It is suggested that elevated amounts of Pb, Cd, and Zn are related to geological origin, as it is a rich Pb–Zn polymetallic mining area, belonging to the ore field Hajvalia–Badovci–Kishnica, which is important for the economic development of Kosovo. At this location source, rocks (serpentinite, schist, phyllite, dacite, andesite, and listwaenite) originate within a wide stratigraphic range, from the Paleozoic formations up to the Tertiary ones. Using Croatian standards, according to which data were evaluated, it was concluded that the water of Badovci Lake is rather polluted with respect to some metals, especially with Cd and Pb, for which it belongs to III, IV, or even V category.