Determination of trace heavy metals in harvested rainwater used for drinking in Hebron (south West Bank, Palestine) by ICP-MS
Date
2014-07-26
Authors
Malassa, Husam
Al-Rimawi, Fuad
Al-Khatib, Mahmoud
Al-Qutob, Mutaz
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Rainwater samples harvested for drinking
from the west part of Hebron (south of West Bank in
Palestine), the largest city in the West Bank, were analyzed
for the content of different trace heavy metals (Cr,
Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Ag, Cd, Bi, and Pb) by
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS).
This study was conducted to determine the water
quality of harvested rainwater used for drinking of south
West Bank (case study, Hebron area).A total of 44water
samples were collected in November 2012 from 44
house cisterns used to collect rainwater from the roofs
of houses. The samples were analyzed for their pH,
temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved
solids, and different heavy metal contents. The pH of
all water samples was within the US Environmental
Protection Agency limits (6.5–8.5), while some water
samples were found to exceed the allowed WHO limit
for total dissolved solids (TDSs) in drinking water.
Results showed that concentrations of the heavy metals
vary significantly between the 44 samples. Results also showed that the concentration of five heavy metals (Cr,
Mn, Ni, Ag, and Pb) is higher than the WHO limits for
these heavy metals in drinking water. Overall, our findings
revealed that harvested rainwater used for drinking
of this part of south West Bank is contaminated with
heavy metals that might affect human health.
Description
Keywords
Heavymetals , Lead , ICP-MS , Rainwater , Hebron , Palestine