Heavy metal contamination of the
groundwater of south West Bank in Palestine was assessed. The groundwater samples
were analyzed for different trace heavy metals (Tl, Pb, Bi, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu,
Zn, Mo, Ag, and Cd), and Al content by ICP/MS. This study was conducted to
determine the water quality of ground water which is used for drinking in the
study area. Water samples from ten groundwater wells were obtained in four
different dates of the year (October 2012, November 2012, March 2013, and April
2013). Three water samples were obtained from each well for each sampling date.
A total of 120 water samples were collected from the ten wells. The samples
were analyzed for their pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids,
and different trace metals content. The pH, electrical conductivity, and total
dissolved solids of all water samples were found to be within the US
Environmental protection Agency limits. Results showed that Pb, Al, Cr, Co, Ni,
Cu, Zn, and Mo were detected in all water samples analyzed in this study, while
Tl, Bi, Mn, Ag, and Cd were detected in 80%, 88%, 90%, 75%, and 95% of the
water samples analyzed in this study, respectively. In general, 93% of all
samples analyzed contained one or more of the 13 metals studied each in varying
concentration. Furthermore, results showed that the concentration of Cr, Mn,
Ni, Cu, Zn, and Mo is within the allowed WHO limits in drinking water. However
the concentration of Pb Cd, and Al are found to be higher than the allowed WHO
limits in 40%, 8%, and 33% of the water samples analyzed in this study,
respectively. Statistical analyses showed that concentrations of the metals
studied in this study vary significantly between the ten ground water wells,
indicating that the wells analyzed in this study is different from each other
in terms of heavy metal content. Additionally, from the statistical results
obtained, it was found that there is a significant difference in the
concentration of the metals in each well for the four sampling times (October
2012, November 2012, March 2013, and April 2013), denoting that metal
concentration in the wells vary significantly with sampling time. The results
obtained from this study suggest a possible risk to the population of the study
area given the toxicity of these metals, and the fact that for many people in
the study area, ground water is a main source of their water supply.