Assessment of heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Cu) concentrations in groundwater resources of Shahrab and its surrounding villages in Ardestan city during May and June 2015

The increasing demand for groundwater in Iran, which is facing water shortages and lack of rainfall, is intensively ongoing. Consumption of water contaminated with heavy metals may result in adverse health effects in people. The present study aimed to determine the amount of arsenic, cadmium and lead in groundwater resources of Shahrab and its surrounding areas having a lot of drinking and agricultural water uses.
A total of fourteen wells supplying rural drinking water in Shahrab area were sampled. Sampling was performed by standard methods. EC, pH and Eh were measured using a portable pH meter. Heavy metals concentration were also determined by ICP-MS. All stages of this research were conducted ethically.
Cadmium concentrations were less than 3 µg/L in studied samples. However, lead concentrations were more than 10 µg/L, exceeding national drinking water standards in Iran. Furthermore, arsenic concentrations exceeded national standards (10 µg/L) in three sample.
A significant positive correlation was not observed between studied metals (arsenic and lead) and principal physicochemical parameters of water based on comparison between correlation coefficients. The concentration of heavy metals in groundwater resources is dependent on several factors, including the type and amount of agricultural pesticides, the region’s climatic conditions, the level of groundwater, and geology of region. Further studies are needed to determine the exact source(s) of contamination.