Geochemistry of arsenic(As) in the surface sediments of Qaen, Iran

Arsenic occurs naturally in the earth’s crust and is widely distributed in the environment. WHO has set the permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water at ۱۰ μg/l and various literatures have reported this limit for the soil to be ۲۰ mg/kg. This paper attempts to document the concentration of arsenic and in sediments of the ۱:۱۰۰,۰۰۰ scale Qaen quadrangle map. Sediment samples indicate content of As which ranges from ۶.۹ to ۵۳.۲ mg/kg with a mean concentration of ۱۱.۹ mg/kg. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) results showed that the As levels ranged from uncontaminated (Igeo < ۰) to polluted. The results from this study can help prevent potential cumulative risk and improve the implementation of effective environmental risk controls at large-scale As contaminated sites.

کلیدواژه ها:

Arsenic ، geoaccumulation index (Igeo) ، WHO ، Qaen