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Investigating arsenic (As) occurrence and sources in ground, surface, waste and drinking water in northern Mongolia

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Abstract

Elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water are found in several parts of Asia. Prolonged intakes of even low concentrations typically have serious health effects. This research paper integrates results of various studies on arsenic contamination of ground, surface, waste and drinking water in north-central Mongolia. Samples were analyzed with the ARSOlux biosensor and the Arsenator field test kit as well as different spectrometric methods (ICP-MS, ICP-OES). Altogether 309 samples were tested for their arsenic concentration, 44 of them with more than one technique. In the study region, the enrichment of heavy metals in surface waters is often linked to mining and coal combustion. The highest concentration of arsenic (As) was detected in the effluent of a gold mine (up to 2,820 μg L−1) and in the ash basin of a thermal power plant (up to 1,170 μg L−1). Five of 54 drinking water samples and 16 of 184 river samples were found to contain As levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum permissible limit (10 μg L−1), with a maximum of 300 μg L−1 As. In addition, elevated levels of uranium were detected. The degree and extent of As concentrations exceeding WHO standards were previously unknown and demonstrate the necessity for a more intensive screening as well as possible interventions concerning the intake of arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Preliminary results indicate that the ARSOlux biosensor technology is well suited for a precise quantification of arsenic content at low detection limits in regions where access to central laboratories is difficult.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (BMBF project No. 03300762) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) (Scholarship D 10 00351 for MP and No. A/12/97034 for GB). Special gratitude is owned to Prof. Dr. Galbadrakh Ragchaa, Department of Physics at National University of Mongolia, for use of his laboratory and help with literature research. We are grateful to Mr. Batzorig L., Vice Director of the Mongolian Central Geological Laboratory, and to Dr. Jürgen Mattusch of the Department Analytical Chemistry of the UFZ Leipzig. Special thanks are due to Ms. Gerel Osor (Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Darkhan) for conducting the regular monitoring since 2006 and to Andreas Koelsch (UFZ Leipzig) for producing the ARSOlux biosensors for our measuring campaign. We appreciate the help of Gongor Sergelen and Buyankhand Batsengee (National University of Mongolia) with the organization of the study and thank our Mongolian driver Batchuluun Tserendorj. The adjuvant comments on the manuscript by Eva Osterwalder (UFZ Leipzig) and four anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Geology, National University of Mongolia, Enkhtaivan Avenue 14/3, P.O. Box 46/120, Ulaanbaatar, 14540, Mongolia

    Martin Pfeiffer & Gunsmaa Batbayar

  2. Department Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Brückstraße 3a, 39114, Magdeburg, Germany

    Gunsmaa Batbayar & Daniel Karthe

  3. Department Ecohydrology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany

    Jürgen Hofmann

  4. Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Konrad Siegfried & Sonja Hahn-Tomer

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  1. Martin Pfeiffer
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  2. Gunsmaa Batbayar
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  4. Konrad Siegfried
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Correspondence to Martin Pfeiffer.

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Pfeiffer, M., Batbayar, G., Hofmann, J. et al. Investigating arsenic (As) occurrence and sources in ground, surface, waste and drinking water in northern Mongolia. Environ Earth Sci 73, 649–662 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-3029-0

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