Study effects of mining and gold extraction on amount of water contamination to As and Hg in Zarshoran area of Takab

In this study, seepage of heavy metals, As and Hg due to activities such as mining, ore transportation, gold refining that lead enter into ground and surface waters in Zarshoran area of Takab (south of west Azerbaijan province in Iran) were investigated. The sampling sites (n=16) selected around three different gold extraction factories and also out of industrial areas. Water samples were collected from wells, rivers and springs in polyethylene bottles according to standard methods in the mid of every season (2015). Samples of Hg acidified with 5ml Nitric acid and As samples acidified with 5ml Hcl and kept at 40c and transferred to laboratory. As and Hg analysis respectively determined by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer at hydride generation mode and cold vapor analyzer. Studies on gold ore deposits in Zarshoran area of Takab indicate that As and Hg exist in minerals of studied area. The obtained results show that the concentration of As in the studied area is higher than the standard level allowed for drinking water by world health organization and it is related to the geochemical composition of the soil in studied area. Also it was found that, the concentrations of Hg in surface waters decreases with distance from the industrial area so it means that, the gold ore processing had positive effect on solubility of the toxic heavy metals.