TY - JOUR
T1 - Alluvial and gypsum karst geological transition favors spreading arsenic contamination in Matehuala, Mexico
AU - Gómez-Hernández, Andrea
AU - Merced Rodríguez, Rodrigo
AU - Lara Del Río, Antonio
AU - Ruiz-Huerta, Esther Aurora
AU - Armienta, María Aurora
AU - Dávila-Harris, Pablo
AU - Sen-Gupta, Bhaskar
AU - Delgado-Rodríguez, Omar
AU - Del Angel Ríos, Andrés
AU - Martínez-Villegas, Nadia
PY - 2020/3/10
Y1 - 2020/3/10
N2 - Arsenic transport in alluvial aquifers is usually constrained due to arsenic adsorption on iron oxides. In karstic aquifers, however, arsenic contamination may spread to further extensions mainly due to favorable hydrogeochemical conditions. In this study, we i) determined the spatial and temporal behavior of arsenic in water in an alluvial-karstic geological setting using field and literature data, ii) established whether a contaminated aquifer exists using field and literature piezometric data and geophysical analysis, iii) studied the local geology and associated arsenic contaminated water sources to specific aquifers, iv) revealed and modeled subsoil stratigraphy, and v) established the extent of arsenic exposure to the population. We found arsenic contamination (up to 91.51 mg/l) in surface and shallow groundwater (<15 m), where water flows from west to east through a shallow aquifer, paleochannels and a qanat within an alluvial-karst transition that favors the spreading and transport of arsenic along 8 km as well as the increase of arsenic exposure to the population (up to 3.6 mgAs/kghair). Results from this study contribute to understanding arsenic transport in semi-arid, mining-metallurgical, and urban environments, where the presence of karst could favor arsenic transport to remote places and exacerbate arsenic exposure and impact in the future.
AB - Arsenic transport in alluvial aquifers is usually constrained due to arsenic adsorption on iron oxides. In karstic aquifers, however, arsenic contamination may spread to further extensions mainly due to favorable hydrogeochemical conditions. In this study, we i) determined the spatial and temporal behavior of arsenic in water in an alluvial-karstic geological setting using field and literature data, ii) established whether a contaminated aquifer exists using field and literature piezometric data and geophysical analysis, iii) studied the local geology and associated arsenic contaminated water sources to specific aquifers, iv) revealed and modeled subsoil stratigraphy, and v) established the extent of arsenic exposure to the population. We found arsenic contamination (up to 91.51 mg/l) in surface and shallow groundwater (<15 m), where water flows from west to east through a shallow aquifer, paleochannels and a qanat within an alluvial-karst transition that favors the spreading and transport of arsenic along 8 km as well as the increase of arsenic exposure to the population (up to 3.6 mgAs/kghair). Results from this study contribute to understanding arsenic transport in semi-arid, mining-metallurgical, and urban environments, where the presence of karst could favor arsenic transport to remote places and exacerbate arsenic exposure and impact in the future.
KW - Arsenic transport
KW - Exposure
KW - Groundwater
KW - Risk
KW - Semiarid environment
KW - Surface water
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076829510&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135340
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135340
M3 - Article
C2 - 31869613
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 707
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 135340
ER -