Arsenic pollution of groundwater in Vietnam exacerbated by deep aquifer exploitation for more than a century.

ABSTRACT: Arsenic contamination of shallow groundwater is among the biggest health threats in the developing world. Targeting uncontaminated deep aquifers is a popular mitigation option although its long-term impact remains unknown. Here we present the alarming results of a large-scale groundwater survey covering the entire Red River Delta and a unique probability model based on three-dimensional Quaternary geology. Our unprecedented dataset reveals that ∼7 million delta inhabitants use groundwater contaminated with toxic elements, including manganese, selenium, and barium. Depth-resolved probabilities and arsenic concentrations indicate drawdown of arsenic-enriched waters from Holocene aquifers to naturally uncontaminated Pleistocene aquifers as a result of > 100 years of groundwater abstraction. V

SUBMITTER: Winkel LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3029707 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature