Investigation of Organic and Inorganic Contaminants in Water Sources around Elbistan Lignite Beds

Year 2022, , 347 - 358, 30.09.2022

Ayça Doğrul Selver , Yusuf Uras

https://doi.org/10.54287/gujsa.1152444

Cited By: 1

Abstract

The household and industrial use, as well as mining of coal, pose various environmental and health risks including lung and kidney diseases such as Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN). BEN is a kidney disease and it is geographically confined to Balkan countries where extensive lignite deposits are located. The most accepted cause of BEN is the use of untreated waters contaminated by lignite-derived organic contaminants. Afşin-Elbistan basin contains approximately 50 % of the lignite reserves of Turkey which makes it an ideal location for the current study. In this work, water samples were taken from 10 different locations in the Afşin-Elbistan basin and they were analyzed for organic and inorganic contaminants. Results showed that none of the water samples were contaminated with inorganic contaminants and indeed met the Turkish drinking water standards. GC-MS analyses of the water samples revealed similar chromatograms. Briefly, all the water samples have similar organic compound types such as n-alkanes, chlorophyll-derived phytols, and plant- and animal-derived acids (i.e. palmitic acid). On the other hand, none of the samples were contaminated with carcinogenic and/or nephrotoxic organic compounds such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons and aromatic amines, which is contrary to many, but not all of the previous works conducted in Balkan countries. All these results may indicate that the influence of coal deposits on the groundwaters is minimal.

Keywords

Kahramanmaraş, Lignite, Organic Contaminants, Inorganic Contaminants, Groundwater

Supporting Institution

Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Universitesi, BAP birimi

Project Number

2018/7-36M

Thanks

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support by KSU-BAP (Project number:2018/7-36M). We thank Gelişim Laboratuvar for designing a nitrogen blow-down setup.

References

• Batuman, V. (2006). Fifty years of Balkan endemic nephropathy: Daunting questions, elusive answers. Kidney International, 69(4), 644–646. doi:10.1038/sj.ki.5000231
• Bunnell, J. E., Tatu, C. A., Bushon, R. N., Stoeckel, D. M., Brady, A. M. G., Beck, M., Lerch, H. E., McGee, B., Hanson, B. C., Shi, R., & Orem, W. H. (2006). Possible linkages between lignite aquifers, pathogenic microbes, and renal pelvic cancer in northwestern Louisiana, USA. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 28(6), 577–587. doi:10.1007/s10653-006-9056-y
• Chakraborty, J., Varonka, M., Orem, W., Finkelman, R. B., & Manton, W. (2017). Geogenic organic contaminants in the low-rank coal-bearing Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer of East Texas, USA. Hydrogeology Journal, 25(4), 1219–1228. doi:10.1007/s10040-016-1508-6
• Ding, Z., Zheng, B., Long, J., Belkin, H. E., Finkelman, R. B., Chen, C., Zhou, D., & Zhou, Y. (2001). Geological and geochemical characteristics of high arsenic coals from endemic arsenosis areas in southwestern Guizhou Province, China. Applied Geochemistry, 16(11–12), 1353–1360. doi:10.1016/S0883-2927(01)00049-X
• Directorate General of Environmental Impact Assessment, Permit and Inspection (2018). Türkiye Çevre Sorunları ve Öncelikleri Değerlendirme Raporu (2016 yılı verileriyle). PDF
• Doğrul Selver, A., & Uras, Y. (2022, June 16-18). Organic and Inorganic Contaminants In Water Sources Around Elbistan Basin. In: International Symposium on Advanced Engineering Technologies. Kahramanmaraş.
• Feder, G., Radovanovic, Z., & Finkelman, R. (1991). Relationship between weathered coal deposits and the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy. Kidney International, 40(34), S9–S11.
• Finkelman, R. B. (2007). Health impacts of coal: facts and fallacies. Ambio, 36(1), 103–106. doi:10.1579/0044-7447(2007)36[103:HIOCFA]2.0.CO;2
• Finkelman, R. B., Orem, W., Castranova, V., Tatu, C. A., Belkin, H. E., Zheng, B., Lerch, H. E., Maharaj, S. V., & Bates, A. L. (2002). Health impacts of coal and coal use: Possible solutions. International Journal of Coal Geology, 50(1–4), 425–443. doi:10.1016/S0166-5162(02)00125-8
• Fowler, B. A., Whittaker, M. H., Lipsky, M., Wang, G., & Chen, X.-Q. (2004). Oxidative stress induced by lead, cadmium and arsenic mixtures: 30-Day, 90-day, and 180-day drinking water studies in rats: An overview. BioMetals, 17(5), 567–568. doi:10.1023/B:BIOM.0000045740.52182.9d
• Grollman, A. P., & Jelaković, B. (2007). Role of Environmental Toxins in Endemic (Balkan) Nephropathy. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 18(11), 2817–2823. doi:10.1681/ASN.2007050537
• Iordanidis, A., Schwarzbauer, J., & Gudulas, K. (2016). Organic Pollutants in the Groundwaters Used for Irrigation Purpose Within a Coal-Bearing Basin of Northern Greece. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, 50(4), 2155–2162. doi:10.12681/bgsg.14268
• Kosateva, A. D., Stefanova, M., Marinov, S. P., & Gonsalvesh, L. (2017a). Organic components in leachates from some Bulgarian lignites. Bulgarian Chemical Communications, 49(D), 25–29.
• Kosateva, A. D., Stefanova, M., Marinov, S., Czech, J., Carleer, R., & Yperman, J. (2017b). Characterization of organic components in leachables from Bulgarian lignites by spectroscopy, chromatography and reductive pyrolysis. International Journal of Coal Geology, 183(October), 100–109. doi:10.1016/j.coal.2017.10.005
• Lukinich-Gruia, A. T., Nortier, J., Pavlović, N. M., Milovanović, D., Popović, M., Drăghia, L. P., Păunescu, V., & Tatu, C. A. (2022). Aristolochic acid I as an emerging biogenic contaminant involved in chronic kidney diseases: A comprehensive review on exposure pathways, environmental health issues and future challenges. Chemosphere, 297(February). doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134111
• Maharaj, S. V. M. (2014). Limitations and plausibility of the Pliocene lignite hypothesis in explaining the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 20(1), 77–91. doi:10.1179/2049396713Y.0000000046
• Maharaj, S. V. M., Orem, W. H., Tatu, C. A., Lerch, H. E., 3rd, & Szilagyi, D. N. (2013). Organic compounds in water extracts of coal: Links to Balkan endemic nephropathy. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 36(1), 1–17. doi:10.1007/s10653-013-9515-1
• Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. (2017). Kömür. (Accessed:01/01/2017) enerji.gov.tr/bilgimerkezi-tabiikaynaklar-komur
• Ojeda, A. S., Ford, S. D., Gallucci, R. M., Ihnat, M. A., & Philp, R. P. (2019). Geochemical characterization and renal cell toxicity of water-soluble extracts from U.S. Gulf Coast lignite. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 41(2), 1037–1053. doi:10.1007/s10653-018-0196-7
• Orem, W. H., Feder, G. L., & Finkelman, R. B. (1999). A possible link between Balkan endemic nephropathy and the leaching of toxic organic compounds from Pliocene lignite by groundwater: Preliminary investigation. International Journal of Coal Geology, 40(2–3), 237–252. doi:10.1016/S0166-5162(98)00071-8
• Orem, W. H., Tatu, C. A., Feder, G. L., Finkelman, R. B., Lerch, H. E., Maharaj, S. V. M., Szilagyi, D., Dumitrascu, V., Paunescu, V., & Margineanu, F. (2002). Environment, geochemistry and the etiology of balkan endemic nephropathy: lessons from Romania. Facta Universitatis, Medicine and Biology Series, 9(1), 39–48.
• Orem, W. H., Tatu, C. A., Lerch, H. E., Susan V. M. Maharaj, N. P., Paunescu, V., & Dumitrascu, V. (2004). Identification and environmental significance of the organic compounds in water supplies associated with a Balkan endemic nephropathy region in Romania. Journal of Environmental Health Research, 3(2), 53–61.
• Orem, W., Tatu, C., Pavlovic, N., Bunnell, J., Lerch, H., Paunescu, V., Ordodi, V., Flores, D., Corum, M., & Bates, A. (2007). Health effects of toxic organic substances from coal: Toward “panendemic” nephropathy. Ambio, 36(1), 98–102. doi:10.1579/0044-7447(2007)36[98:heotos]2.0.co;2
• Pfohl-Leszkowicz, A., Petkova-Bocharova, T., Chernozemsky, I. N., & Castegnaro, M. (2002). Balkan endemic nephropathy and associated urinary tract tumours: A review on aetiological causes and the potential role of mycotoxins. Food Additives and Contaminants, 19(3), 282–302. doi:10.1080/02652030110079815
• Stiborová, M., Arlt, V. M., & Schmeiser, H. H. (2016). Balkan endemic nephropathy: an update on its aetiology. Archives of Toxicology, 90(11), 2595–2615. doi:10.1007/s00204-016-1819-3
• Stoev, S. D. (2017). Balkan Endemic Nephropathy – Still continuing enigma, risk assessment and underestimated hazard of joint mycotoxin exposure of animals or humans. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 261, 63–79. doi:10.1016/j.cbi.2016.11.018
• Tiwary, R. K. (2001). Environmental Impact of Coal Mining Onwater Regime and Its Management. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 132(1-2), 185-199. doi:10.1023/A:1012083519667
• Voice, T. C., McElmurry, S. P., Long, D. T., Dimitrov, P., Ganev, V. S., & Peptropoulos, E. A. (2006). Evaluation of the hypothesis that Balkan endemic nephropathy is caused by drinking water exposure to contaminants leaching from Pliocene coal deposits. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 16, 515–524. doi:10.1038/sj.jes.7500489
• Weeden, R. P. (1991). Environmental renal disease: lead, cadmium and Balkan endemic nephropathy. Kidney International Supplement, 34.