Arsenic in groundwater and sediment in the Mekong River delta, Vietnam

Abstract

A study of groundwater and sediment during 2007-2008 in the Mekong River delta in Vietnam (MDVN) revealed that 26%, 74%, and 50% of groundwater samples were above the US EPA drinking water guidelines for As (10 microg/L), Mn (0.05 mg/L), and Fe (0.3 mg/L). The range of As, Fe, and Mn concentrations in the MDVN were <0.1-1351 microg/L, <0.01-38 mg/L, and <0.01-14 mg/L, respectively. Elevated levels of As were found in groundwater at sampling sites close to the Mekong River and in wells less than 60-70 m deep. An inverse relationship was found between As and Mn concentrations in groundwater. Sediment samples from An Giang and Dong Thap had the highest As concentrations (18 mg/kg and 38 mg/kg, respectively). Arsenic sediment occurred mainly in the poorly crystalline Fe oxide phases. Reductive dissolution of the Fe oxide phase is not necessarily the dominant mechanism of As release to groundwater. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.