Arsenic content of drinking water in Mongolia / Монголын Анагаах Ухаан

ABSTRACT

Background: Population of a significant number of countries in the world use drinking water high in arsenic content. Asia is a leading region in the world by the endemic arsenic prevalence and countries such as India, Bangladesh, China and Taiwan have high prevalence of arsenic. The fact that in neighboring China, namely, in Inner Mongolia, the number of cases of neuropathy and skin cancer has been increasing, amplifies the necessity for such studies. It is essential to conduct further research in order to identify arsenic content in drinking water throughout the country.Goal The survey aims at studying arsenic content in drinking water and mapping arsenic prevalence by aimags and soumsMaterials and Methods: The survey was conducted nationwide –21 aimags and urban areas, in total, arsenic content in drinking water was studied in 291 soums in 867 wells. Arsenic content was identified with a test kit developed by Mahidol University, Thailand. Results: Out of 867 well water samples from 21 aimags and Ulaanbaatar studied for the survey, 91 or 10.5% contained arsenic. Arsenic was found in well water of all aimags except Bulgan, Zavkhan, Orkhon, Selenge and Huvsgul aimags. Nationwide, average arsenic content in drinking water is 0.014+ 0.003mg/l. Highest arsenic content was found in Dornogobi (53.9%), Dundgobi (31%) and Sukhbaatar (27.3%) aimags. Although average arsenic content in drinking water in selected wells in Tuv, Gobisumber, Dornogobi, Gobi-Altai, Dornod, Sukhbaatar and Dundgobi aimags contains 1.2-5 times more arsenic than UST-900-92 standard and WHO recommended content. Out of all studied samples, water from well #3 in Khatanbulag soum, Dornogobi, contained 0.07mg/l arsenic which is the highest – 0.065mg/l more than UST-900-92 standard and WHO recommended content.Concliusions1. Out of 867 well water samples 10.3% contained arsenic.2. Arsenic content in drinking water nationwide is 0.014+-0.003mg/l. The highest arsenic content is recorded in Khatanbulag soum, Dornogobi – 0.075mg/l.