Contamination by arsenic and other trace elements of tube-well water along the Mekong River in Lao PDR.

摘要: Arsenic and other trace element concentrations were determined for tube-well water collected in the Lao PDR provinces of Attapeu, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Savannakhet, Saravane, Vientiane. Water samples, especially from floodplain areas central southern Laos, significantly contaminated not only with As, but B, Ba, Mn, U, Fe as well. Total As ranged <0.5 μg L(-1) to 278 L(-1), over half exceeding WHO guideline 10 L(-1). 46% notably, dominated by As(III). Samples Vientiane, further north, all acceptable except on pH, which was below drinking limits. A principal component analysis found associations between general characteristics, elements. Causes elevated tube wells considered similar those Mekong River countries, particularly Cambodia Vietnam, where young alluvial aquifers give rise reducing conditions.