Abstract
To investigate the urban groundwater contamination by eight trace metals and 69 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in relation to land use in Seoul, a total of 57 groundwater samples collected from wells were examined using a non-parametric statistical analysis. Land use was classified into five categories: less-developed, residential, agricultural, traffic, and industrial. A comparison of analyzed data with US EPA and Korean standards for drinking water showed that some metals and VOCs exceeded the standards in a few localities, such as Fe (N=5), Mn (N=6), Cu (N=1), TCE (N=6), PCE (N=8), 1,2-DCA (N=1), and 1,2-dichloropropane (N=1). Among the 69 investigated VOCs, 19 compounds such as some gasoline-related compounds (e.g., toluene) and chlorinated compounds (e.g., chloroform, PCE, TCE) were detected in groundwater. Non-parametric statistical analysis showed that the concentrations of most trace metals (Fe, Mn, As, Cr, Pb, Cd) and some VOCs (especially, TCE, PCE, chloroform; toluene, carbon tetrachloride, bromodichloromethane, CFC113) are significantly higher in the industrial, residential, and traffic areas (P<0.05), indicating that anthropogenic contamination of urban groundwater by those chemicals is growing. Those chemicals can be used as effective indicators of anthropogenic contamination of groundwater in urban areas and therefore a special attention is warranted for a safe water supply in those areas. The results of this study suggest that urban groundwater quality in urban areas is closely related with land use.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1116-1131 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Environmental Geology |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2005 Oct |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work has been supported by the National Research Laboratory program, which is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Korea.
Keywords
- Land use
- Non-parametric statistical analysis
- Seoul
- Trace metals
- Urban groundwater
- Volatile organic compounds
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Chemistry
- Water Science and Technology
- Pollution
- Soil Science