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Dissolved trace elements and heavy metals in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, China

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Concentrations of trace elements and heavy metals (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, V and Zn) in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the water source area of the Middle Route of China’s interbasin South to North Water Transfer Project, were analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) and compared with the national and international standards for drinking water. The results indicated that concentrations of As, Pb, Sb and Se in the Reservoir exceeded the standards and they would pose health risk for residents in the region and the water receiving areas of the interbasin water transfer project. Spatial and temporal variability of the trace elements and heavy metals in the Reservoir implies their mixed sources of natural processing and anthropogenic activities in the upper drainage of the Reservoir. The research results would help develop water resource management and conservation strategy for the interbasin water transfer project.

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Acknowledgments

The research is jointly supported by the “Hundred-talent Project” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (O629221C01), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40503017), and the National Eleventh Five-Year Science and Technological Support Program of China (2006BAC10B020). We wish to thank Sheng Gu, Sha Mu, Guo Sheng and Yiping Wang for their assistance with field sampling, and Professor Hongyin Han of the Chinese University of Geosciences for the assistance on the trace elements analysis. We also thank comments and suggestions from an anonymous reviewer.

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Correspondence to Quanfa Zhang.

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Li, S., Xu, Z., Cheng, X. et al. Dissolved trace elements and heavy metals in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, China. Environ Geol 55, 977–983 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1047-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-1047-5

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