Trace element composition of drinking water in Almaty

Water is an important component of all life on Earth, and water pollution with heavy metals can lead to detrimental consequences for public health. The purpose of this study was to determine the health risks caused by trace elements present in the drinking water supply systems of Almaty City. As part of this research, the elemental composition of 78 drinking water samples taken in winter, summer, and autumn of 2023 in different areas of the city was studied.Based on the data obtained, drinking water contamination indices were calculated for heavy metal groups, and the degree of water suitability for drinking purposes was assessed for each sampling point.

Methods
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) techniques are used at the Institute of Nuclear Physics for analyzing the elemental composition of liquid samples.

ICP-MS analysis was performed using an ELAN-9000 inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometer (PerkinElmer SCIEX). The standard deviation of the output signal is no more than 6%, the resolution is from 0.6 atomic mass units (amu) to 0.8 amu. at a 10% peak height and mass ranging from 2 amu to 270 amu.

ICP-OES analysis was performed using an OPTIMA-8000 dual-view optical emission spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma (PerkinElmer Inc.), optical range 166–900 nm, and peak half-maximum resolution 0.008 nm at 200 nm.