HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN THE GROUNDWATER IN MAZANDARAN PROVINCE, NORTH OF IRAN
CHANGIZ MOHAMMADIZADEH *
Department of Geology, Islamic Azad University, Sari branch, Sari, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to investigate the concentration of some metals were measured in groundwater from the mazandaran province of northern Iran during the November 2013; identify any relationships between metals and pH, total hardness. Water samples were collected from 20 sites in the mazandaran province. The determinations of Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Fe in groundwater were carried out by a GBC (Savant AA Sigma) flame atomic absorption spectrometer. Metal concentrations in the groundwater samples were decreased in sequence of Zn> Cr > Pb > Cu > Cd, respectively. The results showed that the overall mean concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Cr were at 3.2, 21.8, and 4.9 ug /l, respectively. The mean concentration of Cu and Zn, were 5.5 and 29 ug /l, respectively. Results also indicated that there were correlations among Cd, Cu, and Zn metals and show that the current quality of groundwater in Mazandaran province does not present immediate health related concerns.
Keywords: Pollution, cadmium, lead, water quality