HAZARDS OF HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATION AND ITS POTENTIAL HEALTH RISK WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SAGAR CITY LAKE

摘要

The concern for water resources containing contaminants, such as heavy metals and toxic metalloids that pose a threat to health, has increased worldwide.1 The presence of metals in water results from two independent factors. The first involving is the weathering of soils and rocks with its products being transported by air and water and the second involving is a variety of anthropogenic activities that have created a societal health risk in lake that receive a substantial amount of waste as in case of the City Lake. In order to quantify the severity of the pollution, metal and metalloid concentrations as well as other physiochemical water quality parameters have been determined.The results obtained here will be beneficial for preventive as well as correctional schemes to the inhabitants of the area and in the design of a basin management program towards recovery of this Lake's health. The lake is situated at the center of the city and surrounded by road containing 24 hour traffic with one main Bus Stand. The temperature of water sample was determined by using a mercury thermometer with a range of 0° C to 100° C. The electrical conductivity (EC) was determined by using a digital conductivity-meter with a range of 0.01-9.99 μscm~(-1). The pH was determined by using a digital pH-meter Elect (111E/101E) having standard glass electrode. Water samples were collected in sterilized containers preserved in plastic bottles (about 4° C) and transported to the laboratory analysis. The water samples were analyzed according to APHA procedures.