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Trace elements in drinking water coolers collected from primary schools, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
1Biological and Medical Research Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Science of the Total Environment
|March 29, 1996
Summary
Drinking water in Riyadh schools contained high levels of metals like aluminum and cadmium. Some samples exceeded European and World Health Organization limits, indicating potential water quality concerns.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Public Health
Background:
- Drinking water quality is crucial for public health, especially in school environments.
- Metal contamination in water can pose significant health risks.
- Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry offers a sensitive method for elemental analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the spectrochemical analysis of drinking water from school coolers in Riyadh.
- To determine the concentrations of 14 metals in school drinking water.
- To compare metal levels against established international guidelines.
Main Methods:
- Spectrochemical analysis using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry.
- Collection of water samples from 32 schools in Riyadh.
- Analysis for aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, strontium, vanadium, and zinc.
Main Results:
- High concentrations of various metals were detected in the analyzed water samples.
- Elevated levels of certain metals exceeded the recommended guideline limits from EEC and WHO.
- The study identified specific metals of concern in school drinking water.
Conclusions:
- The drinking water in Riyadh schools may not meet safety standards due to metal contamination.
- Regular monitoring and quality control of school drinking water are essential.
- Further investigation into the sources of metal contamination is warranted.