TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing mixed trace elements in groundwater and their health risk of residents living in the Mekong River basin of Cambodia
AU - Phan, Kongkea
AU - Phan, Samrach
AU - Huoy, Laingshun
AU - Suy, Bunseang
AU - Wong, Ming Hung
AU - Hashim, Jamal Hisham
AU - Mohamed Yasin, Mohamed Salleh
AU - Aljunid, Syed Mohamed
AU - Sthiannopkao, Suthipong
AU - Kim, Kyoung Woong
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Benjamin Kocar for his assistance in improvement of the English fluency in the manuscript and the International Environmental Analysis and Education Center (formerly known as International Environmental Research Center) for its support in sample analyses. This research was funded by a joint research project between United Nations University & Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (UNU&GIST, Republic of Korea) , United Nations University-International Institute For Global Health (UNU-IIGH, Malaysia) and Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong SAR) . We have no actual and/or potential conflict of interests to declare.
PY - 2013/11
Y1 - 2013/11
N2 - We investigated the potential contamination of trace elements in shallow Cambodian groundwater. Groundwater and hair samples were collected from three provinces in the Mekong River basin of Cambodia and analyzed by ICP-MS. Groundwater from Kandal (n = 46) and Kraite (n = 12) were enriched in As, Mn, Ba and Fe whereas none of tube wells in Kampong Cham (n = 18) had trace elements higher than Cambodian permissible limits. Risk computations indicated that 98.7% and 12.4% of residents in the study areas of Kandal (n = 297) and Kratie (n = 89) were at risk of non-carcinogenic effects from exposure to multiple elements, yet none were at risk in Kampong Cham (n = 184). Arsenic contributed 99.5%, 60.3% and 84.2% of the aggregate risk in Kandal, Kratie and Kampong Cham, respectively. Sustainable and appropriate treatment technologies must therefore be implemented in order for Cambodian groundwater to be used as potable water.
AB - We investigated the potential contamination of trace elements in shallow Cambodian groundwater. Groundwater and hair samples were collected from three provinces in the Mekong River basin of Cambodia and analyzed by ICP-MS. Groundwater from Kandal (n = 46) and Kraite (n = 12) were enriched in As, Mn, Ba and Fe whereas none of tube wells in Kampong Cham (n = 18) had trace elements higher than Cambodian permissible limits. Risk computations indicated that 98.7% and 12.4% of residents in the study areas of Kandal (n = 297) and Kratie (n = 89) were at risk of non-carcinogenic effects from exposure to multiple elements, yet none were at risk in Kampong Cham (n = 184). Arsenic contributed 99.5%, 60.3% and 84.2% of the aggregate risk in Kandal, Kratie and Kampong Cham, respectively. Sustainable and appropriate treatment technologies must therefore be implemented in order for Cambodian groundwater to be used as potable water.
KW - Cambodia
KW - Groundwater
KW - Human hair
KW - Risk assessment
KW - The Mekong River basin
KW - Trace element
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84881110520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.07.002
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.07.002
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23906558
AN - SCOPUS:84881110520
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 182
SP - 111
EP - 119
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
ER -
