Determination of arsenic contamination in irrigation water resources and pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L.): Nevsehir province case study

Abstract

Arsenic, commonly found in natural environment, has become an important environmental problem after revealing its toxicological effects on human health. Arsenic concentration of the groundwater used for irrigation of pumpkins in Nevşehir and as well as of pumpkin seeds consumed as a snack have not been studied earlier. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the contamination of arsenic in irrigation water and pumpkin seeds in Nevşehir. The research was conducted by taking irrigation water samples from deep wells located in Gülşehir-Gülpınar, Ürgüp-Sarıhıdır, Hacıbektaş-Killik villages and collecting seed samples of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) grown in these villages. Arsenic concentrations in irrigation water and seed samples were measured by ICP-MS device. The arsenic concentration levels in irrigation water were measured as 201.87 µg L^-1 in Hacıbektaş-Killik village, 56.17 µg L^-1 in Gülşehir-Gülpınar village and 10.15 µg L^-1 in Ürgüp-Sarıhıdır village. The arsenic concentrations in all the pumpkin samples were determined at varying rates. The arsenic level was measured 669.23 µg L^-1 in Hacıbektaş-Killik village, 282.51 µg L^-1 in Gülşehir-Gülpinar village and 161.65 µg L^-1 in Ürgüp-Sarıhıdır village. As a result, considering the geological structure of the region, the water resources should be monitored regularly regarding the risk of contamination with arsenic and it is essential that a plan be devised to reduce the arsenic level in the irrigation water.

Keywords

• Arsenic; Irrigation water; Pumpkin seeds; Nevşehir

Sulama suyu kaynakları ve çerezlik kabak (Cucurbita pepo L.)'ta arsenik kontaminasyonunun belirlenmesi: Nevşehir ilinde örnek bir uygulama

Abstract

Doğal olarak çevrede yaygın bulunan arseniğin insan sağlığı üzerindeki toksikolojik etkilerinin belirlenmesi arseniği önemli bir çevre problemi haline getirmiştir. Nevşehir’de sulama sularında ve çerezlik kabak yetiştiriciliğinde arsenik konsantrasyonunun belirlenmesine ilişkin yeterli çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Nevşehir ilinde sulama suyu kaynaklarında ve çerezlik kabak çekirdeğinde arsenik kontaminasyonunun tespit edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gülşehir-Gülpınar, Ürgüp-Sarıhıdır ve Hacıbektaş-Killik Köylerinde sulama suyu sağlanan derin kuyulardan su örneği alınmış ve bu sularla yetiştirilen çerezlik kabak (Cucurbita pepo L.) bitkisinden çekirdek örnekleri alınarak arsenik konsantrasyonları ICP-MS cihazı ile saptanmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda sulama suyu örneklerinde arsenik konsantrasyonları Hacıbektaş-Killik Köyünde 201.87 µg L^-1, Gülşehir-Gülpınar köyünde 56.17 µg L^-1 ve Ürgüp-Sarıhıdır Köyünde 10.15 µg L^-1 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Tüm çerezlik kabak çekirdeği örneklerinde değişen oranlarda arsenik konsantrasyonları belirlenmekle birlikte,  Hacıbektaş-Killik Köyünde 669.23 µg L^-1, Gülşehir-Gülpınar köyünde 282.51 µg L^-1 ve Ürgüp-Sarıhıdır Köyünde ise 161.65 µg L^-1 olarak saptanmıştır. Sonuç olarak jeolojik unsurların da ön planda olduğu bölgede, sulama suyu kaynaklarındaki arsenik konsantrasyonunun sürekli izlenmesi ve sulama suyu kaynaklarındaki arsenik derişiminin düşürülmesine yönelik çalışmaların yapılması gerekmektedir.

 

Keywords

• Arsenik; Sulama suyu; Çerezlik kabak; Nevşehir

References

1. Abedin, M.J., Cotter-Howells, J., & Meharg A.A. (2002a). Arsenic uptake and accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) irrigated with contaminated water. Plant Soil, 240(2): 311-319.
2. Abedin, M.J., Cressner, M.S., Meharg A.A., Feldmann, J., & Cotter-Howells, J. (2002b). Arsenic accumulation and metabolism in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Environmental Science Technology, 36(5): 962-968.
3. Atabey, E. (2008). Türkiye’de jeolojik açıdan arsenik sorununa genel bakış Arsenic: Geoenvironmental concerns in Turkey. Uluslararası Katılımlı Tıbbi Jeoloji Sempozyumu, 6-9 Şubat 2008, Ankara, s:113-115.
4. Atabey, E. (2013). Nevşehir ili tıbbi jeolojik unsurları ve halk sağlığı. http://www.nevsehir.bel.tr. Erişim tarihi: 05 Eylül 2013.
5. Beccaloni, E., Vanni, F., Beccaloni, M., & Carere, M. (2013). Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead and zinc in homegrown vegetables and fruits: Estimated intake by population in an industrialized area of Sardinia, Italy. Microchemical Journal, 107:190-195.
6. Caporale, A.G., Pigna, M., Sommella, A., Dynes, J.J., Cozzolino, V., & Violante, A. (2013). Influence of compost on the mobility of arsenic in soil and its uptake by bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) irrigated with arsenite contaminated water. Journal of Environmental Management, 128:837-843.
7. Carbonell-Barrachina, A.A., Burlo, F., Burgos-Hernandez, A., Lopez, E., & Mataix, J. (1997). The influence of arsenite concentration on arsenic accumulation in tomato and bean plants. Scientia Horticulturae, 71(3-4):167-176.
8. Dursun, A., Türkmen, Ö., Turan M., Şensoy, S. & Çırka, M. (2005). Effect of sewage sludge on the seed emergence, development and mineralcontents of pepper (Capsicum annum) seed. Asian Journal of Plant Science, 4(3):99-304.

9. Gunduz, S., & Akman, S. (2013). Investigation of arsenik and cadmium contents in rice samples in Turkey by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Food Analytical Methods, 6(6):1693-1696.
10. Jahiruddin, M., Islam, M.R., Shah, A.L., Islam, S., & Ghani, M.A. (2004). Effects of arsenik contamination on yield and arsenik accumulation in crops. In M. A.L Shah et al. (ed.), Proceedings Workshop on Arsenik in the Water-Soil-Crop Systems, 22 July 2004, BRRI, Gazipur, 147:39-52.
11. Liao, X., Fu, Y., He, Y., & Yang, Y. (2014). Occurence of arsenik in fruit mango plant (Mangifera indica L.) and its relationship to soil properties. Catena, 113:213-218.
12. Neidhardt, H., Norraa, S., Tanga, X., Guoc, H., & Stüben, D. (2012). Impact of irrigation with high arsenik burdened groundwater on the soileplant system: Results from a case study in the Inner Mongolia, China. Environmental Pollution, 163:8-13.
13. Ovca, A., Johannes, T. Van Elteren, Falnoga, I., & Selih, Vid S. (2011). Speciation of zinc in pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo) and degradation of its species in the human digestive tract. Food Chemistry, 128(4):839-846.
14. Rahman, M.A., & Hasegawa, H. (2011). High levels of inorganic arsenik in rice in areas where arsenik-contaminated water is used for irrigation and cooking. Science of The Total Environment, 409(22):4645-4655.
15. Rahman, M.M., Asaduzzaman, M., & Naidu, R. (2013). Consumption of arsenik and other elements from vegetables and drinking water from an arsenik-contaminated area of Bangladesh. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 262(15):1056-1063.
16. Roychowdhury, T., Tokunaga, H., Uchino, T., & Ando, M. (2005). Effect of arsenic-contaminated irrigation water on agricultural land soil and plants in West Bengal, India. Chemosphere, 58(6):799-810.
17. Smith, E., Juhasz, A. L., Weber, J., & Naidu, R. (2008). Arsenic uptake and speciation in rice plants grown under greenhouse conditions with arsenic contaminated irrigation water. Science of The Total Environment, 392(2-3):277-283.
18. Song, S., & Gallegos-Garcia, M. (2014). Arsenic Removal from Water by the Coagulation Process: The Role of Colloidal Systems in Environmental Protection, (Ed. Monzer Fanun), 720 p., Elsevier, Netherlands.
19. WHO, (2001). Environmental Health Criteria 224: Arsenic and Arsenic compounds. WHO, Geneva.
20. Williams, P.N., Price, A.H., Raab, A., Hossain, S.A., Feldmann, J., & Meharg, A.A. (2005). Variation in arsenic speciation and concentration in paddy rice related to dietary exposure. Environmental Science Technology, 39(15): 5531-5540.