Heavy metals in water of the San Pedro River in Chihuahua, Mexico and its potential health risk

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the seasonal and downstream water quality variations of the San Pedro River in Chihuahua, Mexico. Water samples were collected monthly from October 2005 to August 2006 in triplicate, totaling 165 water samples. The five sampling locations were: below the Francisco I. Madero dam (LP); between Rosales and Delicias (RD); Meoqui (M); El Torreon (ET), and Julimes (LJ). The levels of As, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Ta, V and Zn were measured using an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) Perkin Elmer 2100. In addition, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and total and fecal coliformes were determined. The statistical analysis considered a factorial treatment design; where factor A was the location point and factor B was sampling date. In addition, a multivariate technique looking for principal components was performed. The results indicated that some samples exceeded Mexican standards for As, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr and Zn. The As level must be considered for a red flag to the communities along the Rio San Pedro because both the monthly average level (0.10 mg L -1 ) and location (0.10 mg L -1 ) exceeded the Mexican and International norms. The multivariate analysis showed a predominant aggregation at the LP location, meaning that there was a predominance of As, Sr, Fe and Li. At the rest of the locations the elements did not present a tendency for aggregation. Statistics applied to sampling month showed that December, January, March and April were aggregated in a negative quadrant of component 1 indicating a predominance of V, Ni, Be, Fe and As. Overall, the results confirmed that this stretch of the San Pedro River is contaminated with heavy metals and other contaminants that might affect human health as well as the health of the ecosystem.

Evaluation of water quality variation in lakes, rivers, and ex-mining ponds in Malaysia (review)

“…San Pedro River is one of the most important rivers in Mexico, which includes four municipalities and the river reaches the boundary between the United States of America and Mexico [61].…”

Change of water sources reduces health risks from heavy metals via ingestion of water, soil, and rice in a riverine area, South China

“…Mining is one of the main anthropogenic activities that lead to environmental contamination by potentially toxic metals including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg) (Horvat et al, 2003;Ji et al, 2013;Williams et al, 2009). Excessive accumulation of these metals in water, soil, and plants may threaten the safety of ecosystems and also pose serious health risks to humans (Granero and Domingo, 2002;Gutiérrez et al, 2008;Martin et al, 1982). For example, long-term exposure to As from drinking water and food could cause various human health problems like skin lesions (e.g., hyperkeratosis and pigmentation changes), hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancers (e.g., skin, kidney, and bladder) (Chervona et al, 2012;Jarup, 2003).…”