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Trace Element Concentration in Groundwater, Tuticorin City, Tamil Nadu, India

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Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate the pollution vulnerability of groundwater aquifers in the coastal regions of Tuticorin city, Tamil Nadu, India. Fourteen samples were analyzed to determine the concentration of trace elements (Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, Cr and Cu) in the groundwater. Among the total samples six were collected from industrial areas and eight from non-industrial areas of Tuticorin city. The concentration of trace element ranges from 0.01 to 0.19 mg/kg−1 for Pb, from 0.01 to 0.16 mg/kg−1 for Zn, from BDL to 0.21 mg/kg−1 for Cd, from BDL (Below Detection Limit) to 0.023 mg/kg−1 for Hg, from 0.02 to 0.18 mg/kg−1 for Cr and from 0.01 to 0.16 mg/kg−1 for Cu. The trace element concentration in groundwater is higher than the WHO suggested maximum permissible limit except Zn and Cu.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India for providing financial support under WAR for WATER program (Project No: DST/WAR-W/SWI/010/2010).

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Correspondence to S. Krishna Kumar.

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Krishna Kumar, S., Magesh, N.S. & Chandrasekar, N. Trace Element Concentration in Groundwater, Tuticorin City, Tamil Nadu, India. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 88, 876–879 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0614-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0614-y

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