Arsenic contamination of drinking water in Ireland: A spatial analysis of occurrence and potential risk

McGrory, Ellen; Brown, Colin; Bargary, Norma; Williams, Natalya Hunter; Mannix, Anthony; Zhang, Chaosheng; Henry, Tiernan; Daly, Eve; Nicholas, Sarah; Petrunic, B. M.; Lee, Monica; Morrison, Liam

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.171

Cited by 59 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Generally, there are large concerns about water quality in private wells as they are at risk of being contaminated (de França Doria, Pidgeon, & Hunter, ; Fox, Nachman, Anderson, Lam, & Resnick, ; Inauen, Hossain, Johnston, & Mosler, ; Kreutzwiser et al., ), which is defined by Chapman () as the presence of a substance where it is undesired or at undesirable levels. While the potential for surface contamination stemming from industry and anthropogenic sources, for example, runoff from agriculture, tends to be well known among private well owners (Hynds, Misstear, & Gill, ; Hynds, Murphy, Kelly, & Fallon, ; Imgrund, Kreutzwiser, & de Loë, ; Kaercher, Po, & Nancarrow, ; O'Luanaigh, Johnston, Misstear, Patel, & Gill, ), the potential of geogenic contamination from the geological formations surrounding wells is often overlooked (Hynds et al., ; McGrory et al., ). Geogenic or natural contamination of groundwater, such as elevated levels of arsenic or uranium, can pose serious health risks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drinking Water Regulations and are, therefore, not subject to any health and safety regulations or checks by authorities. Thus, well owners are not legally required to test or monitor their drinking water but are responsible for the drilling, maintenance, and monitoring of their own wells and water quality (McGrory et al., ). Although there is no formal regulation, guidelines exist, which recommend that private wells are tested regularly for bacterial (every year) and geogenic (every three years) contamination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risk Perceptions Toward Drinking Water Quality Among Private Well Owners in Ireland: The Illusion of Control

2019

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In rural areas where no public or group water schemes exist, groundwater is often the only source of drinking water and is extracted by drilling private wells. Typically, private well owners are responsible for the quality and testing of their own drinking water. Previous studies indicate that well owners tend to underestimate the risks of their well water being contaminated, yet little is known about why this is the case. We conducted a qualitative study by interviewing private well owners in Ireland to investigate their beliefs surrounding their water quality, which, in turn, inform their risk perceptions and their willingness to regularly test their water. Based on our findings we designed a theoretical model arguing that perceived control is central in the perceived contamination risks of well water. More specifically, we argue that well owners have the illusion of being in control over their water quality, which implies that people often perceive themselves to be more in control of a situation than they actually are. As a result, they tend to underestimate contamination risks, which subsequently impact negatively on water testing behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are highlighted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Perceptions Toward Drinking Water Quality Among Private Well Owners in Ireland: The Illusion of Control

2019

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“…As outlined by Frederick et al (2016), generally when exploring potential relationships between elevated arsenic and various explanatory variables two primary modeling strategies can be used: logistic regression (e.g., Ayotte et al, 2003;Winkel et al, 2008;Gross and Low, 2013;Bretzler et al, 2017b), or decision tree analysis (Hossain and Piantanakulchai, 2013;Tesoriero et al, 2017). However, in this present study, an alternative approach to these modeling techniques, previously applied successfully by McGrory et al (2017) which used similar predictor variables in addition to detailed aqueous geochemistry data that can potentially explain the spatial distribution of arsenic in relation to groundwater controls (e.g., bedrock geology) was utilized. A distinct advantage of this approach is that some datasets, as is the case here, do not include well-depth information and therefore can't be analyzed using these other modeling approaches which can integrate depth as a co-variate in the model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Conversely in Europe there have been two (Greece and Ireland) previous national-scale arsenic groundwater assessments (Dokou et al, 2015;McGrory et al, 2017) with no regional-scale assessments having occurred. Greater numbers of national-scale assessments would assist in providing information on the patterns and distribution of arsenic in groundwater resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic in Groundwater in South West Ireland: Occurrence, Controls, and Hydrochemistry

McGrory

Alvarez‐Iglesias

Bargary

et al. 2018

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Globally numerous regions have been identified with elevated arsenic within groundwater which can result in potential adverse health risks. In Ireland, a previous national-scale research assessment of groundwater identified isolated clusters of elevated arsenic and indicated that lithology was a major controlling factor on arsenic in groundwater. Complementary comparisons of national-scale and regional-scale groundwater assessments of arsenic are lacking in Europe when compared to other global regions. The aims of this study were to demonstrate the value of a regional-scale groundwater hydrochemistry dataset with an existing national-scale approach, describe anomalies that can become the focus of attention for public health and economic reasons, and to provide a wider context for arsenic in groundwater within Ireland and Europe. Regional-scale data using 470 locations comprising 1,493 analyses using several hydrochemical parameters (arsenic, pH, conductivity, iron, manganese, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and total hardness) in south west Ireland were integrated with geological, hydrogeological, and land use datasets. Statistical analysis was performed using a combination of methods including score tests of geological groups using an empirical cumulative distribution function plot in addition to spatial analysis. Results revealed that hydrochemical parameters exhibited different spatial clusters, which was generally associated with lithology. Arsenic was elevated in sandstone derived bedrock. Weak correlation of arsenic with other hydrochemical parameters were observed and redox-sensitive elements like manganese and iron showed a greater diversity in spatial occurrence. This study has shown that the variation of hydrochemical parameters are controlled by regional geology. Finally, the paper focuses on anomalies identified by concentrations of individual ions or statistical associations in the context of, for example, historical mineral exploration and mining in the area and also discusses whether groundwater chemistry sampling on this scale can assist in future mineral exploration, as well as guiding the future development of high quality public and private water supplies.

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“…Similarly, a study conducted in Sudan stated that resigning salinity of drinking water was observed together with human incompatibility and increase in livestock mortalities also in high concentrations and a toxic health endangerment were assessed for lead and barium [21]. A study investigated water quality in Ireland and their results showed that concentration of arsenic in groundwater is below 7.5 μg [22]. They indicated that several areas with elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater were treated using technologies.…”

Section: Water Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Resources Management in Libya: Challenges and Future Prospects

Hamad¹,

Hanafiah²,

Yaakob³

2017

Malays. j. sustain. agric

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Water shortage or scarcity is becoming a major concern for many nations across the world. The situation is worsened by rapid urbanization and population growth in developing countries, thus increase competition for water used for irrigated agriculture. Various efforts have been made by the authorities in the developing countries to provide sufficient water and improve the quality of water resources. Yet, there are still many developing countries facing shortages of water for domestic and agricultural purposes, especially during the dry months of the year. Libya is one of the Northern African countries that have been experiencing water shortages especially in urban areas. This paper aims to identify the current situation and constraints of water resources management in Libya. The latter part is devoted to the solutions and recommendations at individual, community, state and government levels that can help solving the water problems in Libya. A number of previous studies on the water resources management and challenges perceived by both developed and developing countries were critically reviewed. It was found that water scarcity in developing countries is expected to be worsen as their population are expected to increase gradually year by year and it can be summarized from the reviewed previous studies that lack of government planning, industrial and human wastes along with government intervention and mismanaging water resources are some of the critical constraints towards achieving sustainable management in most of the countries including Libya. Potential solutions such as improving supply demand and good quality management of water resources must be taken into consideration. In addition, active participation from the local residents by enhancing awareness amongst them would be one of the supportive strategies to minimize the constraints. Sustainable economic and environmental management together with efficient use of water is required to conserve our clean water supply.

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Arsenic contamination of drinking water in Ireland: A spatial analysis of occurrence and potential risk

Cited by 59 publications

References 60 publications

Risk Perceptions Toward Drinking Water Quality Among Private Well Owners in Ireland: The Illusion of Control

Risk Perceptions Toward Drinking Water Quality Among Private Well Owners in Ireland: The Illusion of Control

Arsenic in Groundwater in South West Ireland: Occurrence, Controls, and Hydrochemistry

Water Resources Management in Libya: Challenges and Future Prospects

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