Arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and surface water of the Poopo Basin and drinking water quality in Bolivian Altiplano

摘要

In Bolivia, there are very few comprehensive studies so far on the contamination of groundwater resources from geogenic sources or mining activities, or on their impact on the population. The present study deals with the hydrochemical characterization in the catchment area of the Poopo Lake in the Bolivian Altiplano (Fig. 1). The Altiplano is a high altitude plateau located between the metasedimentary Cordillera Oriental in the West and the volcanic Cordillera Occidental of the Andes in the East (USGS & GEOBOL, 1992). The Poopo Lake is located between latitudes 18°27' and 19°10' S and longitudes 66°50' and 67°24' W, at an altitude of 3686 m a.s.l.