Results of heavy metals and other water quality levels in tap water from Çan sourced from Ağı Dağı (Mt. Ağı) (Çanakkale, Turkey)

Abstract

In this study, the concentrations of heavy metals Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe, Mn and Cr were determined using an inductively coupled plasma and optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES), and water quality parameters pH, temperature, and conductivity were measured using the YSI 556 MPS water probe. The water samples were collected monthly from five different street tap water points sourced from Mt. Agi (Ağı Dağı in Turkish) spring waters between May 2012 and February 2013 in Çan (Canakkale, Turkey). All results were compared with the drinking water standards of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE 266), World Health Organization, European Union and US Environmental Protection Agency. While concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn were within limit values, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr were at undetectable limits. The highest concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn were 0.010 ppm, 0.018 ppm, 0.058 ppm, and 0.014 ppm, respectively. The findings revealed that although there was no public health risk in view of heavy metal concentrations, there was an acidity problem due to lower pH levels correlated with some heavy metals such as Cu (R = 0.419), Fe (R = –0.421) and Mn (R = –0.687).