Toxic metals (aluminum, beryllium, boron, chromium and zinc) in groundwater: Health risk assessment

The objective of this study is to determine the seasonal water quality variations of the major springs of the Yarmouk Basin (YB) of north Jordan. A total of 36 water samples were collected in October 2006 (dry season) and in May 2007 (wet season) and analyzed for temperature, hydrogen ion concentration, electrical conductivity, aluminum, beryllium, boron, chromium and zinc. The hydrogen ion concentration was found in the alkaline ranges (7.01–7.87) and (7.01–8.09) for the pre and post-wet season water samples, respectively. Electrical conductivity varied from 300 to 1199 μS/cm and from 424 to 962 μS/cm for the dry and wet season water samples, respectively. The results of heavy metals analysis indicated that some water samples exceeded the Jordanian Standards for drinking water. Overall, the results showed that the water springs of the Yarmouk Basin in north Jordan is contaminated with heavy metals that might affect human health as well as the health of the ecosystem.