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Partition of arsenic in soils sediments and the origin of naturally elevated concentrations in groundwater of the southern pampa region (Argentina)

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Abstract

Excessive arsenic concentrations above the Argentinean and WHO guidelines for drinking water (10 μg L−1) affects shallow aquifers of the southern Pampean Plain (Argentina) hosted in the Pampean and the Post Pampean formations (loess and reworked loess; Plio-Pleistocene–Holocene). Health problems related to high As concentrations in drinking waters are known as Endemic Regional Chronic Hydroarsenicism. Hydrochemistry of shallow groundwaters and soil geochemistry were investigated aiming to (1) understand the partition of As in the solid phase and its relationship with unacceptable As concentrations in waters, (2) identify the provision source of As to groundwaters. Only 5% of the samples had As concentrations <10 μg L−1; in 27% As concentrations ranged from 10 to 50 μg L−1 and in 58% it reached 60–500 μg L−1. The coarse fraction (50–2,000 μm) hosts about 27% of the total As in the solid phase, being positively correlated to Ba (p < 0.01; r 2 = 0.93). About 70% is included in the <2 μm fraction and had positive correlations of As–Fe (p < 0.05; r 2 = 0.85) and As–Cr (p < 0.05; r 2 = 0.68). Soils and sediment sand fractions of vadose zones are the primary sources of As in shallow groundwater while adsorption–desorption processes, codisolution–coprecipitation, and evaporation during the dry seasons raise As concentrations in waters exceeding the guideline value for drinking water.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial assistance of the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCYT) and the Secretaría de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Universidad Nacional del Sur, (SECyT), Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Our thanks are also for reviewers that their contribute to improve our manuscript with their opinions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Altos de Palihue, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María del Carmen Blanco, Juan Darío Paoloni, Carmen Fiorentino, Mario Eduardo Sequeira, Nilda N. Amiotti, Oscar Bravo & Martín Espósito

  2. Centro de Inv. de Rec. Nat, Inst. Nac. de Tec. Agropecuaria (CIRN-INTA), 1712 Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Hector Morrás

  3. Agencia Nacional para la Promoción Científica y Técnica (ANPCYT), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Silvana Diaz

  4. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CONICET), Bahia Blanca, Argentina

    Mario Eduardo Sequeira & Nilda N. Amiotti

  5. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Bahia Blanca, Argentina

    Juan Darío Paoloni & Martín Espósito

  6. Departamento de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253, Bahia Blanca, Argentina

    Mario Eduardo Sequeira

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  1. María del Carmen Blanco
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  2. Juan Darío Paoloni
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  3. Hector Morrás
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  4. Carmen Fiorentino
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Correspondence to María del Carmen Blanco.

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del Carmen Blanco, M., Paoloni, J.D., Morrás, H. et al. Partition of arsenic in soils sediments and the origin of naturally elevated concentrations in groundwater of the southern pampa region (Argentina). Environ Earth Sci 66, 2075–2084 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1433-x

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