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Water pollution with cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) is a worldwide concern because of their health impact. Determination of their concentrations and potential human health risks in surface water and groundwater in the southern El-Minya Governorate, Egypt, is the main aim of this study. Fifty-five samples were collected, 30 surface water samples and 25 groundwater samples. The samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry to determine Cd and Pb contents. Their levels in surface water and groundwater exceeded the maximum allowable level for drinking water set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The hazard quotient showed that the surface water and groundwater may pose a health risk to residents, especially to children. S. A. Salman et al.: Evaluation of human risks of surface water and groundwater contaminated with Cd and Pb

Background: Heavy metals have dangerous effect on the biota. So, this work aimed to determine the mobility and bioavailability of these metals through the application of pollution indices and geochemical fractionation technique. Thirty-one topsoil samples (20 cm) were collected from the area between Abu Qurqas and Dyer Mawas, El Minya Governorate, and subjected to chemical analysis. Results: The results revealed that Cd and As are mainly associated with carbonate fraction while Cr, Pb, Ni, and Cu are more present in the residual fraction. The relative amounts of easily dissolved phase of heavy metals in the soils are in the order of As > Cd > Cr > Pb > Ni > Cu. Conclusion: The results revealed that As, Cd, and Cr have high mobility and risks more than Pb, Ni, and Cu metals in the studied soils. As, Cd, and Cr were the heavy metals that caused pollutants in the soils of the studied area.

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Hierakonpolis, Greek for City of the Hawk, nearly 25 km NW of Idfu (Egypt), is an important and extensive archaeological discovery covering a large area. Its richness in archaeological artifacts makes it a valuable site. It has a valid claim to be the first nation state, as indicated by the Palette of Narmer discovered in its main mound. Geological and hydrogeological investigations at the Hierakonpolis Temple Town site documented nearly a 4.0-m water table rise from as early as 1892 to the present. In addition to the rising water levels, the increase of both subsoil water salinity and humidity threatens and damages fragile carvings and paintings within tombs in Kingdom Hill, the foundation stability of the site, and the known and still to be discovered artifact that recent pottery finds dates at least 4,000 BCE. Representative rock and soil samples obtained from drilled cores in the study area were chosen for conducting detailed grain size and X-ray analysis, light and heavy mineral occurrences, distribution of moisture and total organic matter, and scanning electron microscopy investigations. Mineralogical analysis of clays indicated that the soil samples are composed of smectite/illite mixed layers with varying proportions of smectite to illite. Kaolinite is the second dominant clay constituent, besides occasional chlorite. Swelling of the clay portion of the soil, due to the presence of capillary groundwater, in contact with buried mudbrick walls expands and causes severe damage to important exposed and buried mudbrick structures, including the massive ancient "fort" believed to date from the Second Dynasty (from 2,890 to 2,686 BC). The "fort" is 1.0 km south of the Temple Town mounds near to confluence of Wadi Abu Sufian. Groundwater samples from the shallow aquifer close by the intersection of Wadi Abu Sufian and the Nile flood plain were analyzed for chemical composition and stable isotope ratios. The groundwater in the upper zone (subsoil water) within fine-grained Nile alluvium is characterized by high salinity which varies from 415 to 4,500 mg/L total dissolved solids. In contrast, most of the groundwater samples in the lower zone (Quaternary aquifer) are characterized by a low salinity in the order of 164-792 mg/L. Values of δD and δO(18) obtained from this deep (9-20 m) aquifer ranged from 16.98 to 19.87 ‰ and from 1.67 to 2.99 ‰, respectively. These values indicated that the Quaternary aquifer waters are recharged directly from recent Nile water. Subsoil water is very shallow in the area; it ranged from 0 to 2.6 m with a mean of 1.1 m within the main mound of the Hierakonpolis Temple Town site by 2003, in contrast to its more than 4.5-m depth in 1897. The exposure of subsoil water to increased evaporation is expected, with a consequent increase in the concentrations of dissolved solids and usually large proportions of chloride and sulfate. Artifacts recovered from the Temple Town site are becoming damaged and destroyed by crystallization processes caused by repeated wetting and drying of salt and the...