PARENT SESSION

PH18 Assessing Human/Environment Interactions
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday

(PH201) Human health threat by arsenic, manganese and barium contamination of groundwater in Vietnam.

Agusa, T.¹, Kunito, T.², Fujihara, J.¹, Kubota, R.¹, Minh, T.B.¹, Trang, P.T.K.³, Iwata, H.¹, Subramanian, A.¹, Viet, P.H.³, Tanabe, S.¹, ¹ Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan² Department of Environmental Sceience, Faculty of Science, Shishu University, Matsumoto, Japan³ Research Center for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development, Hanoi University of Science, Hanoi, Vietnam

ABSTRACT- Concentrations of As and other trace elements and their association were examined in groundwater and human hair collected at Gia Lam District and Thanh Tri District, suburban areas of Hanoi, Vietnam in September 2001. Concentrations of As in the groundwater ranged from <0.10 to 330 g/l, about 40 % of these exceeding WHO drinking water guideline of 10 g/l. Also, 76% and 12% of groundwater samples had higher concentrations of Mn and Ba than WHO drinking water guidelines, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between As and Fe levels in groundwater, which may indicate that As is released into groundwater by reductive dissolution of As adsorbed to Fe oxyhydroxides. Arsenic concentrations in hair of residents in Gia Lam and Thanh Tri Districts (range, 0.088 - 2.77 g/g) were lower than those in other As-contaminated areas of the world, but were higher than those of normal people. Significant positive correlations were observed between concentrations in groundwater and human hair for As, Mn, Co, Ga, Ba, Mo and Sr, indicating that consumption of the groundwater is the main source of these elements to these residents. Concentrations of As and Mn in hair of some individuals from the Gia Lam and Thanh Tri Districts exceeded the level associated with their toxicity, soliciting a potential health risk of As and Mn for the people consuming the contaminated water in this area. Cumulative As exposure was found to be lower than the threshold levels at present, which might explain the absence of manifestations of chronic As poisoning in the residents of Gia Lam and Thanh Tri Districts. To our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal that the residents of the Red River Delta, Vietnam are exposed not only to As but also Mn and Ba from groundwater.

Key words: groundwater, trace element, human hair, Vietnam