Seasonal variation in arsenic concentration and hydrogeochemical dynamics in groundwater  at Van Phuc, Thanh Tri, Hanoi

Thi Duyen Vu; Thanh Dam Nguyen; Thi Kim Trang Pham; Hung Viet Pham; Michael Berg

doi:10.15625/2525-2518/22409

Author affiliations

Authors

Vu T. Duyen Key laboratory of Analytical Technology for Environmental Quality and Food Safety Control, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam. Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Thanh Dam Nguyen Key laboratory of Analytical Technology for Environmental Quality and Food Safety Control, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Pham T.K. Trang Center for Environmental Technonoly and Analytical Development for Sustainable, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1870-8528
Viet Pham Hung
M. Berg https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7342-4061

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15625/2525-2518/22409

Keywords:

arsenic contamination, groundwater, seasonal variation, health risk assessment, Van Phuc village

Abstract

Arsenic contamination in groundwater represents a significant public health threat to millions of people globally, particularly within the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. This study aims to assess the seasonal fluctuations in arsenic concentration and the underlying hydrogeochemical dynamics of groundwater at Van Phuc, Thanh Tri, Hanoi. Groundwater samples were collected from 17 wells, with depths ranging from 25 to 54 meters, during three distinct seasons: pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon. Physicochemical analysis indicates that groundwater quality is predominantly influenced by local biogeochemical processes within the aquifer, coupled with year-round river recharge. In contrast, anthropogenic impacts, such as irrigation and wastewater discharge, appear to exert minimal influence. Arsenic concentrations exhibited a slight increase, from 132 µg/L in the pre-monsoon to 141 µg/L in the monsoon and reaching 145 µg/L in the post-monsoon season. Notably, seasonal fluctuations were more pronounced in shallow groundwater (<30 meters), with a progressive reduction in variability as the distance from the Red River increased. These fluctuations are driven by arsenic mobility under varying redox conditions and the local geohydrochemical processes. Additionally, high phosphate concentrations were found to enhance the arsenic variation in groundwater. Health risk assessments revealed a high hazard index (HI > 1) and unacceptable carcinogenic risk (ILCR > 10⁻⁴) in most wells, underscoring the need for mitigation measures. This study provides insights into the seasonal hydrogeochemical processes governing arsenic contamination, with implications for groundwater management in affected regions. Further research is needed to refine mitigation approaches and reduce exposure risks.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Cantor K. P. - Drinking water and cancer. Cancer Causes Control 8 (1997) 292-308. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018444902486.

2. Farooq S. H., Chandrasekharam D., Norra S., Berner Z., Eiche E., Thambidurai P., Stüben D. - Temporal variations in arsenic concentration in the groundwater of Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India. Environmental Earth Sciences 62 (2011) 223-232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-010-0516-4.

3. Ferreccio C., González C., Milosavjlevic V., Marshall G., Sancha A. M., Smith A. H. - Lung cancer and arsenic concentrations in drinking water in Chile. Epidemiology 11 (2000) 673-679. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001648-200011000-00010.

4. Podgorski J., Berg M. - Global threat of arsenic in groundwater. Science 368 (2020) 845-850. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba1510.

5. Smedley P. L., Kinniburgh D. G. - A review of the source, behaviour and distribution of arsenic in natural waters. Applied Geochemistry 17 (2002) 517-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-2927(02)00018-5.

6. Berg M., Tran H. C., Nguyen T. C., Pham H. V., Schertenleib R., Giger W. - Arsenic contamination of groundwater and drinking water in Vietnam: a human health threat. Environ Sci Technol 35 (2001) 2621-2626. https://doi.org/10.1021/es010027y.

7. Eiche E., Neumann T., Berg M., Weinman B., van Geen A., Norra S., Berner Z., Trang P. T. K., Viet P. H., Stüben D. - Geochemical processes underlying a sharp contrast in groundwater arsenic concentrations in a village on the Red River delta, Vietnam. Applied Geochemistry 23 (2008) 3143-3154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2008.06.023.

8. Nguyen V. A., Bang S., Viet P. H., Kim K.-W. - Contamination of groundwater and risk assessment for arsenic exposure in Ha Nam province, Vietnam. Environment International 35 (2009) 466-472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2008.07.014.

9. Postma D., Larsen F., Minh Hue N. T., Duc M. T., Viet P. H., Nhan P. Q., Jessen S. - Arsenic in groundwater of the Red River floodplain, Vietnam: Controlling geochemical processes and reactive transport modeling. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 71 (2007) 5054-5071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2007.08.020.

10. Stopelli E., Duyen V. T., Mai T. T., Trang P. T. K., Viet P. H., Lightfoot A., Kipfer R., Schneider M., Eiche E., Kontny A., Neumann T., Glodowska M., Patzner M., Kappler A., Kleindienst S., Rathi B., Cirpka O., Bostick B., Prommer H., Winkel L. H. E., Berg M. - Spatial and temporal evolution of groundwater arsenic contamination in the Red River delta, Vietnam: Interplay of mobilisation and retardation processes. Science of The Total Environment 717 (2020) 137143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137143.

11. Winkel L. H. E., Trang P. T. K., Lan V. M., Stengel C., Amini M., Ha N. T., Viet P. H., Berg M. - Arsenic pollution of groundwater in Vietnam exacerbated by deep aquifer exploitation for more than a century. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (2011) 1246-1251. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1011915108.

12. World Health Organization - Guidelines for drinking-water quality: fourth edition incorporating first addendum. 4th , 1st add. World Health Organization, Geneva, (2017).

13. Vietnam General Statistic Office - Area, population and population density by province. https://www.gso.gov.vn/en/px-web/?pxid=E0201&theme=Population%20and%20Employment (accessed December 26, 2024)

14. Giao P. H., Hue V. T., Han N. D., Anh N. T. H., Minh N. N. - Land subsidence prediction for a new urban mass rapid transit line in Hanoi. Underground Space 5 (2020) 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.undsp.2018.11.002.

15. Wright-Contreras L., March H., Schramm S. - Fragmented landscapes of water supply in suburban Hanoi. Habitat International 61 (2017) 64-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2017.02.002.

16. Agusa T., Kubota R., Kunito T., Minh T. B., Trang P. T. K., Chamnan C., Iwata H., Viet P. H., Tana T. S., Tanabe S. - Arsenic Pollution in Groundwater of Vietnam and Cambodia: A Review. Biomedical Research on Trace Elements 18 (2007) 35-47. https://doi.org/10.11299/brte.18.35.

17. Yin S., Yang L., Wen Q., Wei B. - Temporal variation and mechanism of the geogenic arsenic concentrations in global groundwater. Applied Geochemistry 146 (2022) 105475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105475.

18. Nam Long P., Thi Ngoc Anh N., The Vinh B., Thu Van C., Thu Thao N., Thi Thu Thuy H. - Evaluation of Processes Affecting the Variation of Groundwater Quality in Quang Nam, Da Nang, Vietnam. VNU Journal of Science: Earth and Environmental Sciences 37 (2021) 61-69. https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1094/vnuees.4693.

19. Nguyen G., Huynh N. - Seasonal Variations in Groundwater Quality under Different Impacts Using Statistical Approaches. Civil Engineering Journal 9 (2023) 497-511. https://doi.org/10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-03-01.

20. Nguyen T. T., Kawamura A., Tong T. N., Nakagawa N., Amaguchi H., Gilbuena R. - Hydrogeochemical assessment of groundwater quality during dry and rainy seasons for the two main aquifers in Hanoi, Vietnam. Environmental Earth Sciences 73 (2015) 4287-4303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3713-8.

21. Tham T. T., Thi Hien D., Thuy Chung N., Tra Mai N. - Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the Holocene Aquifer in Duy Tien District, Ha Nam Province using Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI). VNU Journal of Science: Earth and Environmental Sciences 38 (2022) 95-104. https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1094/vnuees.4781.

22. Biswas P., Hossain M., Patra P. K. - Arsenic hydrogeochemistry, quality assessment, and associated health risks of groundwater through the novel water pollution index (WPI) and GIS approach. Groundwater for Sustainable Development 21 (2023) 100944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2023.100944.

23. Shil S., Singh U. K. - Health risk assessment and spatial variations of dissolved heavy metals and metalloids in a tropical river basin system. Ecological Indicators 106 (2019) 105455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105455.

24. Berg M., Trang P. T. K., Stengel C., Buschmann J., Viet P. H., Van Dan N., Giger W., Stüben D. - Hydrological and sedimentary controls leading to arsenic contamination of groundwater in the Hanoi area, Vietnam: The impact of iron-arsenic ratios, peat, river bank deposits, and excessive groundwater abstraction. Chemical Geology 249 (2008) 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2007.12.007.

25. Fendorf S., Michael H. A., van Geen A. - Spatial and Temporal Variations of Groundwater Arsenic in South and Southeast Asia. Science 328 (2010) 1123-1127. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172974.

26. Norrman J., J. Sparrenbom C., Berg M., Duc Nhan D., Jacks G., Harms-Ringdahl P., Nhan P., Rosqvist H. - Tracing sources of ammonium in reducing groundwater in a well field in Hanoi (Vietnam) by means of stable nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values. Applied Geochemistry 61 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2015.06.009.

27. van Geen A., Bostick B. C., Thi Kim Trang P., Lan V. M., Mai N.-N., Manh P. D., Viet P. H., Radloff K., Aziz Z., Mey J. L., Stahl M. O., Harvey C. F., Oates P., Weinman B., Stengel C., Frei F., Kipfer R., Berg M. - Retardation of arsenic transport through a Pleistocene aquifer. Nature 501 (2013) 204-207. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12444.

28. Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment - QCVN 09:2023/BTNMT: National technical regulation on Ground water quality. Hanoi, Vietnam (2023).

29. Vietnam Ministry of Health - QCVN 01-01:2024/BYT: National technical regulation on domestic water quality. Hanoi, Vietnam (2024).

30. Nghiem A. A., Stahl M. O., Mailloux B. J., Mai T. T., Trang P. T., Viet P. H., Harvey C. F., van Geen A., Bostick B. C. - Quantifying Riverine Recharge Impacts on Redox Conditions and Arsenic Release in Groundwater Aquifers Along the Red River, Vietnam. Water Resour Res 55 (2019) 6712-6728. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR024816.

31. Ghosh G. C., Khan M. J. H., Chakraborty T. K., Zaman S., Kabir A. H. M. E., Tanaka H. - Human health risk assessment of elevated and variable iron and manganese intake with arsenic-safe groundwater in Jashore, Bangladesh. Scientific Reports 10 (2020) 5206. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62187-5.

32. Kontny A., Schneider M., Eiche E., Stopelli E., Glodowska M., Rathi B., Göttlicher J., Byrne J. M., Kappler A., Berg M., Thi D. V., Trang P. T. K., Viet P. H., Neumann T. - Iron mineral transformations and their impact on As (im)mobilization at redox interfaces in As-contaminated aquifers. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 296 (2021) 189-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2020.12.029.

33. Neidhardt H., Rudischer S., Eiche E., Schneider M., Stopelli E., Duyen V. T., Trang P. T. K., Viet P. H., Neumann T., Berg M. - Phosphate immobilisation dynamics and interaction with arsenic sorption at redox transition zones in floodplain aquifers: Insights from the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Journal of Hazardous Materials 411 (2021) 125128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125128.