The research article I selected for research example #2 is an E-Journal Article from the Journal of Environmental Health volume 80, number 6, January/February 2018. The title of the article is “Evaluation and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Groundwater Resources of Saqqez, Iran.” The authors of this study measured nine heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, cobalt, iron, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc) in rural areas of Saqqez, Iran. Saqqez is one of the main towns in Kurdistan, Iran. Saqqez includes more than 206 villages that is served by various springs and wells. This is important because groundwater is the main source of water in rural areas in Iran. Water samples were collected from 150 sources such as wells, springs, and tanks. These samples were collected in two phases; one in the rainy season and one in the dry season. Each sample was filtered as soon as it arrived at the laboratory. The researchers found that the heavy metal concentration was the highest for iron followed by zinc, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, arsenic, mercury, and manganese. Although the mean concentrations of the heavy metals in most samples were within the limits set by the World Health Organization and U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the mean concentrations for iron, arsenic, and molybdenum were higher than the national and international standards. It was determined that the higher concentrations of iron and arsenic might cause potential health risks to the local people. The authors strongly recommended that the water from the contaminated sites should not be used for drinking purposes unless properly treated. The authors also recommended that the Iranian government should provide drinking water alternatives to minimize the potential health risks associated with high concentrations of heavy metals.
Shadi Kohzadi, Behzad Shahmoradi, Daem Raushani, Asad Nouri. 2018 “Evaluation and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Groundwater Resources of Saqqez, Iran.” Journal of Environmental Health. Vol 80(6): 1-8