Investigation of Organic and Inorganic Contaminants in Water Sources around Elbistan Lignite Beds

Abstract

The household and industrial use, as well as mining of coal, pose various environmental and health risks including lung and kidney diseases such as Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN). BEN is a kidney disease and it is geographically confined to Balkan countries where extensive lignite deposits are located. The most accepted cause of BEN is the use of untreated waters contaminated by lignite-derived organic contaminants. Afşin-Elbistan basin contains approximately 50 % of the lignite reserves of Turkey which makes it an ideal location for the current study. In this work, water samples were taken from 10 different locations in the Afşin-Elbistan basin and they were analyzed for organic and inorganic contaminants. Results showed that none of the water samples were contaminated with inorganic contaminants and indeed met the Turkish drinking water standards. GC-MS analyses of the water samples revealed similar chromatograms. Briefly, all the water samples have similar organic compound types such as n-alkanes, chlorophyll-derived phytols, and plant- and animal-derived acids (i.e. palmitic acid). On the other hand, none of the samples were contaminated with carcinogenic and/or nephrotoxic organic compounds such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons and aromatic amines, which is contrary to many, but not all of the previous works conducted in Balkan countries. All these results may indicate that the influence of coal deposits on the groundwaters is minimal.