Abstract
One of the important indicators to show the quality of water for drinking and irrigation is nitrate values in water and soil. Nitrate enters surface water and groundwater through degradation and decomposition of human and animal wastes, industrial productions, and agricultural runoff. The present paper focuses on the concentration of nitrite (NO2 −1) and nitrate (NO3 −1) of the groundwater in Taft region, Central Iran. Sixty-one samples of the region’s aqueducts, wells, and springs were collected in September 2008 and May 2009 and analyzed by ICP-MS method. However, distribution maps of nitrate and nitrite and their frequency diagram in the pertinent samples have been generated. Then, they were compared to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WHO international standards. The mean of nitrate content measured in the samples was 18.52 mg/l, maximum was 115 mg/l which is higher than the EPA standard (i.e., 10 mg/l), and the mean of nitrite content was about 0.06 mg/l. According to the distribution maps, concentration of these anions is high in the downstream of settlements and farmlands of Taft region. With respect to the penetration of agricultural wastes, flooding irrigation, thin layer of alluvium, sandy texture, and the amount of fertilizer consumed in the region, and also absence of any natural source for these anions and absence of the major industrial activities in the region to produce sewage, it seems that nitrate and nitrite originated from the agricultural sewage and human waste. As the content of nitrate in drinking water in the region is higher than WHO and EPA standards, so there is the risk of methemoglobinemia disease in infants. In addition, nitrate content within the stomach and lungs interacts with amine and nitrosamines are made up which are potentially the initial cause of all cancers in human.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alizadeh N (2009) Principles of applied hydrology. Astan Quds Razavi, Iman Reza University, Mashhad, Iran (in Persian)
Babaei A, Alavi N, Jafarzadeh H (2009) Environmental chemistry (analysis of water and sewage). Medical Science College, Jondi Shapour, Health and Marine Services, Ahvaz. Iran (in Persian)
Bohlke J (2002) Groundwater recharge and agricultural contamination. Hydrogeology J 10:153–179
Chowdary V, Rao N, Sarma PBS (2005) Decision support framework for assessment of non-point-source pollution of groundwater in large mitigation projects. J Agric water 75:194–225
Criss R, Davisson M (2004) Fertilizers, water quality and human health. Environ Heal Perspect 112(10):A536–A536
Daneshvar N (2009) Principles of water quality control. Published by Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran (in Persian)
Darvish Zadeh A (2005) Geology of Iran. Amir Kabir, Tehran (in Persian)
Di H, Cameron K (2002) Nitrate leaching and pasture production from different nitrogen sources on a shallow stony soil under flood-irrigated dairy pasture. Aust J Soil Res 40(2):317–334
Dissanayake CB, Chandrajith R (2009) Introduction to medical geology. Springer, Berlin
Dorgham M, Abdol-Aziz E, El-Deeb Z, Okbah A (2004) Eutrophication problems in the Western Harbour of Alexandria. Egypt Oceanologia 46(1):25–44
Fewtrell L (2004) Drinking-water nitrate, methemoglobinemia, and global burden of disease. A discussion. Environ Health Perspect 112(14):1371–1374
Gharaei H, Rezaei A, Gharaei S (2007) Effects of inorganic pollution on soil and water in the lands around Doroodzan Dam, Marvdasht, 2nd National Meeting on Agriculture and Ecology.
Hamon Consulting Engineers (2007) Document of economic, social and cultural development of Taft, Government of Yazd, Yazd, Iran (in Persian)
Jalali M (2001) Water quality study of wells in Hamedan city, management and planning organization of Hamdan province, report no. 285 (in Persian)
Jordan C, Smith R (2005) Methods to predict the agricultural contribution to catchments nitrate loads: designation of nitrate vulnerable zone in Northern Ireland. J Hydro 304:316–329
Knobeloch L, Salna B, Hogan A, Postle J, Anderson H (2000) Blue babies and nitrate contaminated well water. Environ Health Perspect 108(7):675–678
Kraft G, Stites W (2003) Nitrate impacts on groundwater from irrigated-vegetable systems in a humid north-central US sand plain. Agric Ecosyst Environ 100(1):63–74
Krapac I, Dey W, Roy W, Smyth C, Storment E, Sargent S, Steele J (2002) Impacts of swine manure pits on groundwater quality. Environ Pollute 120(2):475–492
Lappenbusch W (1986) Contaminated drinking water and your health. Lappenbusch Environmental Health, Inc, Alexandria
Lucassen E, Smolders A, Van Der Salm A, Roelofs J (2004) High groundwater nitrate concentrations inhibit eutrophication of sulphate-rich freshwater wetlands. J Biogeochemistry 67(2):249–267
Mahvi A, Nori J, Babaei A, Nabizadeh R (2005) Agricultural activities impact on groundwater nitrate pollution. Int J Environ Sci Tech 2(1):41–47
Malakooti M (1999) Stable agriculture and performance improvement with optimization of fertilizer in Iran, 2nd edn. Amouzesh Keshavarzi, Iran (in Persian)
Malakooti M, Baybordi A, Tabatabaei S (2004) Optimum use of the effective quantity fertilizer to improve performance, quality improve performance, quality improvement and decrease of pollutants in vegetables and fruits and improvement of society’s health. Ministry of Jihad-e-Keshavarzi, Keshavarzi Karbord, Iran (in Persian)
McIntyre N, Wheater H (2004) A tool for risk-based management of surface water quality. J Environmental Modeling and Software 19(12):1131–1140
McIntyre N, Wagener T, Wheater H, Chapra S (2003a) Risk-based modeling of surface water quality. Environ Model Software 274(1–4):225–247
Mcintyre N, Wagener T, Whearet H, Chapra S (2003b) Risk-based modeling of surface water quality: a case study of the Charles River, Massachusetts. J Hydrol 274:225–247
Montgomery J (1985) Water treatment, principles and design. Wiley, New York
Nishio M (2004) Effect of intensive fertilizer use on groundwater quality. Institute of Agricultural and Forest Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Japan. Tennoal 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8572.
Talaei A, Jarfi S (2009) Study of providing drinkable water for villages of Pasargad province with the emphasis on nitrate pollution. The 12th National Meeting on Iran’s Environmental Health, Shahid Beheshti Medical Science University, Health College.
Tchobanoglous G, Burton FL, David Stensel H (2003) Waste water engineering treatment and reuse, 4th edn. McGraw Hill, New York, p 1819
Thorbum P, Biggs J, Weier K, Keating B (2003) Nitrate in groundwater of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia. Agr Ecosyst Environ 94:49–58
Townsend M, Young D (2000) Factors affecting nitrate concentrations in groundwater in Stafford Country Kansas. Kansas Geology Survey.
US EPA (2011) Drinking water standards and health advisories US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, 820-R-11-002, Washington, D.C.
WHO (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edn. World Health Organization, Geneva
Wolf A, Pats J (2002) Reactive nitrogen and human health: acute and long term implications. Ambio 31(2):20–25
Acknowledgments
We should appreciate Mrs. Rahmani, Manager of Medical Geology Department of Geological Survey of Iran, for her sincere cooperation and reminder that the present article is derived from Taft’s Medical Geology Project.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Farhadinejad, T., Khakzad, A., Jafari, M. et al. The study of environmental effects of chemical fertilizers and domestic sewage on water quality of Taft region, Central Iran. Arab J Geosci 7, 221–229 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0717-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0717-0