Abstract
Metal contamination in water is a major determinant of water quality. People who consume this water suffer from water borne diseases. There are various natural and anthropological activities at the sample collection site leading to increase in concentration of trace elements in drinking water. Activities like corrosion of metal coated pipes, herbicides, insecticides, ceramic wastes, taking gravel from near water source, etc. may lead to pollution of drinking water by heavy metals like chromium. The objective of this study was to detect metal concentration in spring and tap water from selected residential areas in the Gurage Zone. Tap water samples were collected from seven different locations during the rainy season. Samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry to determine the concentration of dissolved metal. Metal analysis was done to detect chromium, copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, magnesium and calcium. The results obtained were compared with guidelines for drinking water quality such as the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Key words: Cadmium, copper, lead metal concentration, chromium, Gurage Zone.
Highlights
Heavy metal is any metallic element that has a relatively high density and is toxic or poisonous even at low concentrations (Lenntech, 2004)
Salts of lead(II) nitrate, zinc chloride, copper(ii) sulfate pentahydrate, chromium(III) nitrate non-hydrate, cadmium nitrate and nitric acid are chemicals used in this study (APHA, 1998)
The present study showed that samples were free of lead and cadmium contamination
Summary
Heavy metal is any metallic element that has a relatively high density and is toxic or poisonous even at low concentrations (Lenntech, 2004). Heavy metals exist as natural constituents of the earth crust and are persistent environmental contaminants, because they cannot be degraded or destroyed While these elements occur naturally, they are often bound up in inert compound by forming complexes (Mason et al, 2012). Water related diseases can often be attributed to exposure to elevated heavy metal concentrations of both organic and inorganic contaminants (Galadima et al, 2011). Many of these compounds exist naturally, but their concentration has increased as a result of anthropogenic activities (Huang et al, 2014)
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