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Arsenic in potable desert groundwater: an analysis problem.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|January 29, 1971
Summary
Conflicting arsenic data in Mojave Desert drinking water led to an accuracy investigation. The American Public Health Association method proved unreliable due to arsine evolution interference, affecting water quality assessments.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Water Quality Assessment
Background:
- Conflicting analytical data regarding arsenic levels in Mojave Desert drinking water samples.
- Previous reliance on the American Public Health Association (APHA) silver diethyldithiocarbamate method for arsenic determination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the accuracy of the APHA silver diethyldithiocarbamate method for arsenic analysis.
- To identify the causes of conflicting analytical data for drinking water in the Mojave Desert.
Main Methods:
- Accuracy investigation of the APHA silver diethyldithiocarbamate method.
- Analysis of arsenic content in 24 drinking water locations.
- Evaluation of arsine evolution interference.
Main Results:
- Interference during arsine evolution was identified as the cause of inaccurate results.
- The method exhibited both color enhancement and arsine suppression effects.
- The APHA method was found to be unreliable for certain natural water types.
Conclusions:
- The APHA silver diethyldithiocarbamate method is not consistently reliable for arsenic determination in all natural waters.
- Interference in arsine evolution significantly impacts the accuracy of arsenic measurements.
- Further method validation is required for environmental water analysis.