| In this research, probable arsenic contamination
in drinking water in the city of Ardabil was studied
in 163 samples during four seasons. In each season,
sampling was carried out randomly in the study area.
Results were analyzed statistically applying SPSS 19
software, and the data was also modeled by Arc GIS
10.1 software. The maximum permissible arsenic concentration
in drinking water defined by theWorld Health
Organization and Iranian national standard is 10 μg/L.
Statistical analysis showed 75, 88, 47, and 69% of
samples in autumn, winter, spring, and summer, respectively,
had concentrations higher than the national standard.
The mean concentrations of arsenic in autumn,
winter, spring, and summer were 19.89, 15.9, 10.87, and
14.6 μg/L, respectively, and the overall average in all
samples through the year was 15.32 μg/L. Although
GIS outputs indicated that the concentration distribution
profiles changed in four consecutive seasons, variance
analysis of the results showed that statistically there is
no significant difference in arsenic levels in four
seasons. |