Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 116 in total

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  1. Abd. Rahim Samsudin, Umar Hamzah, Abd. Ghani Rafek, Haryono
    The whole Bachok area is covered by alluvial deposit. The alluvium has three aquifers at depth of 0 - 5, 15 - 30 and 40 - 60 meters below surface. Preliminary geophysical surveys including seismic refraction, reflection and resistivity techniques have been carried out to investigate thickness and depth of the aquifers, depth of bedrock and the salinity of the underground water. Results show that the position of first aquifer has been well determined by seismic refraction technique. Whereas the details of deeper aquifers and the bedrock have been determined by seismic reflection techniques. Geoelectrical resistivity low obtained for the first aquifer suggest that it could be due to either salt water intrusion or the presence of marine clay.
    Keseluruhan kawasan Bachok merupakan endapan aluvium. Endapan ini mempunyai tiga akuifer pada kedalaman 0 - 5 meter, 15 - 30 meter dan 40 - 60 meter. Kajian geofizik pada tahap awal yang merangkumi aspek seismos biasan, seismos pantulan dan kerintangan geoelektrik telah dilakukan untuk menyiasat ketebalan dan kedalaman akuifer, kedalaman batu dasar dan kemasinan air tanah. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa teknik seismos biasan telah dapat menghasilkan maklumat mengenai kedudukan akuifer pertama. manakala teknik seismos pantulan menghasilkan maklumat terperinci mengenai akuifer kedua dan ketiga serta batu dasar. Nilai kerintangan geoelektrik rendah bagi akuifer pertama menunjukkan sama ada disebabkan oleh intrusi air masin atau kehadiran lempung samudera.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  2. Abdul Rahim Samsudin, Umar Hamzah, Zuraidah Ramli
    Sains Malaysiana, 2007;36:159-163.
    An integrated geophysical study was conducted to investigate the subsurface regional structure and the presence of a Quaternary sedimentary basin in the Olak Lempit - Banting area of Selangor, Malaysia. A regional gravity survey and the high resolution reflection seismic were employed to determine the thickness and areal distribution of the alluvial sedimentary basin as well as to investigate the depth and topography of the bedrock in the study area. The sedimentary basin hosts one of the most important coastal alluvial aquifer which was used to cater the shortage of domestic water supply during the worst water crisis that hit the state of Selangor in 1998. The surface geological map shows that in general 70% of the study area is covered by Quaternary deposits of Beruas, Gula and Simpang Formations which overlie the sedimentary bedrock of Kenny Hill Formation. The Beruas Formation consists of mainly clay, sandy clay and peat of Holocene fluviatile-estuarine deposits, whereas the Gula Formation represents Holocene marine to estuarine sediments which mostly consists of clay and minor sand. The Simpang Formation (Pleistocene) is a continental deposit comprising of gravel, sand, clay and silt. The underlying Kenny Hill Formation consists of a monotonous sequence of interbedded shales, mudstones and sandstones. The rock is Carbonaceous in age and it forms an undulating surface topography in the eastern part of the study area. A total of 121 gravity stations were established using a La Coste & Romberg gravity meter and the elevations of most of the stations were determined barometrically using Tiernan-Wallace altimeters. The high resolution seismic reflection using the common mid point (CMP) or roll along technique was carried out using a 24 channel signal enhancement seismograph and high frequency geophones. A total length of about 1.7 km stacked seismic section has been acquired in this survey and a nearby borehole data was used for interpretation. A relative Bouguer anomaly map shows an elongated zone of low gravity anomaly trending approximately NW-SE which is interpreted to be the deposition center of the Quaternary basin. The interpreted gravity profiles running across the central area of the study area show that the basin has thickness varies from tenth to several hundred meters with maximum depth to bedrock of about 275m. A gravity profile which passes through the eastern edge of the basin was modeled with depth to bedrock of about 178m below ground which agrees very well with those obtained from the interpreted seicmic section and borehole data. The stacked seismic section shows several high amplitude parallel to sub-parallel reflection overlying discontinuos and low reflection pattern. Reflections on the eastern part of the section is much shallower than the one observed on the western part which clearly indicates the presence of basinal structure with a total interpreted depth to bedrock of about 200 meters.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  3. Kandasamy, R., Azme, Hashim, I., Ismoen, M.
    ASM Science Journal, 2008;2(1):23-33.
    MyJurnal
    The effect of chemical reaction and variable viscosity on mixed convection heat and mass transfer for Hiemenz flow over a porous wedge plate was studied in the presence of heat radiation. The wall of the wedge was embedded in a uniform Darcian porous medium to allow for possible fluid wall suction or injection and had a power-law variation of both the wall temperature and concentration. The fluid was assumed to be viscous and incompressible. Numerical calculations were carried out for different values of dimensionless parameters and an analysis of the results obtained showed that the flow field was influenced appreciably by the buoyancy ratio between species, thermal diffusion and suction/injection at wall surface. The effects of these major parameters on the transport behaviours were investigated methodically and typical results illustrated to reveal the tendency of the solutions. Representative results are presented for the velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions. Comparisons with previously published works were performed and excellent agreement between the results were obtained. It is predicted that this research might prove to be useful for study of the movement of oil or gas and water through the reservoir of an oil or gas field, in the migration of underground water, in filtration, and water purification processes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  4. Mohammed, Thamer Ahmed, Abdul Halim Ghazali
    MyJurnal
    In Malaysia, the use of groundwater can help to meet the increasing water demand. The utilization of the aquifers is currently contributing in water supplies, particularly for the northern states. In this study, quantitative and qualitative assessments were carried out for the groundwater exploitation in the states of Kelantan, Melaka, Terengganu and Perak. The relevant data was acquired from the Department of Mineral and Geoscience, Malaysia. The quantitative assessment mainly included the determination of the use to yield ratio (UTY). The formula was proposed to determine the UTY ratio for aquifers in Malaysia. The proposed formula was applied to determine the maximum UTY ratios for the aquifers located in the states of Kelantan, Melaka, and Terengganu, and were found to be 4.2, 5.2 and 0.6, respectively. This indicated that exploitation of groundwater was beyond the safe limit in the states of Kelantan and Melaka. The qualitative assessment showed that the groundwater is slightly acidic. In addition, the concentrations of iron and manganese were found to be higher than the allowable limits, but the chloride concentration was found within the allowable limit.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  5. Ahmad Zaharin Aris, Mohd Harun Abdullah, Praveena SM
    Groundwater is the prime source of freshwater in most small islands. A detailed groundwater and seawater chemistry study was undertaken from March 2006 to January 2007 to examine the evolution of groundwater in the shallow aquifer of Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia. Coastal groundwater aquifers especially for small islands are often exposed to heavy pumping and consequently to risks of seawater intrusion. Major ion chemistry analysis showed that the groundwater quality of the island experienced changes attributed to seawater intrusion. The groundwater has undergone a compositional change from Ca-rich to Na-rich which can be explained mostly by simple mixing process and cation exchange process. From the PHREEQC simulation model, calcite, dolomite and aragonite solubility showed positive mean values (0.65; 1.11; 0.51, respectively) of the saturation indices (SI) indicating supersaturation which attributed from the simple mixing and eventually cation exchange process. This information is important in protecting and remediating the disturbed aquifer situation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  6. Hashim MA, Mukhopadhyay S, Sahu JN, Sengupta B
    J Environ Manage, 2011 Oct;92(10):2355-88.
    PMID: 21708421 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.06.009
    The contamination of groundwater by heavy metal, originating either from natural soil sources or from anthropogenic sources is a matter of utmost concern to the public health. Remediation of contaminated groundwater is of highest priority since billions of people all over the world use it for drinking purpose. In this paper, thirty five approaches for groundwater treatment have been reviewed and classified under three large categories viz chemical, biochemical/biological/biosorption and physico-chemical treatment processes. Comparison tables have been provided at the end of each process for a better understanding of each category. Selection of a suitable technology for contamination remediation at a particular site is one of the most challenging job due to extremely complex soil chemistry and aquifer characteristics and no thumb-rule can be suggested regarding this issue. In the past decade, iron based technologies, microbial remediation, biological sulphate reduction and various adsorbents played versatile and efficient remediation roles. Keeping the sustainability issues and environmental ethics in mind, the technologies encompassing natural chemistry, bioremediation and biosorption are recommended to be adopted in appropriate cases. In many places, two or more techniques can work synergistically for better results. Processes such as chelate extraction and chemical soil washings are advisable only for recovery of valuable metals in highly contaminated industrial sites depending on economical feasibility.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater*
  7. Leila Khodapanah, Wan Nor Azmin Sulaiman
    MyJurnal
    Eshtehard aquifer located in southwest of Tehran province, Iran, provides a large amount of water requirement for inhabitants of Eshtehard district. Monitoring and analyzing of groundwater quality are important for protecting groundwater as sustainable water resource. One of the most advanced techniques for groundwater quality interpolation and mapping is geostatistics methods. The purposes of this study are (1) to investigate major ions concentration and their relative abundance to provide an overview of present groundwater chemistry and (2) to map the groundwater quality in the study area using geostatistics techniques. In this investigation, ArcGIS 9.2 was used for predicting spatial distribution of some groundwater characteristics such as: Chloride, Sulfate, pH, and Conductivity. These methods are applied for data from 44 wells within the study area. The final maps show that the south parts of the Eshtehard aquifer have suitable groundwater quality for human consumption and in general, the groundwater quality degrades south to north and west to east of the Eshtehard plain along the groundwater flow path.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  8. Suratman, S., Tawnie, I., Sefei, A.
    ASM Science Journal, 2011;5(2):101-107.
    MyJurnal
    A study to determine the impact of leachate from operating and closed landfills into the surface water and groundwater systems in the state of Selangor was conducted in the year 2009. Groundwater was a major source of water for various uses in Selangor, Malaysia and was especially important for industrial purposes. The presence of high numbers of landfill sites was seen to have increased the risk of groundwater contamination. There were 20 landfill sites in the state of Selangor and seven of them were still operating and 13 closed. The landfills are classified into four categories, which were: (a) landfills operating at critical stages without controls to prevent pollution into the environment; (b) open dumpsites that have the capacity to continue to accept waste but needed to be upgraded to manage leachate and gas; (c) landfills that were closed but no safety closure plan was carried out; and (d) engineered landfills with up to date technologies. As most of the landfills were built prior to 1989, they were not subjected to the Environmental Impact Assessment requirements, hence, they were being poorly managed and were badly sited. The non-engineered sites had no proper pollution controls such as cover materials, liner materials, groundwater monitoring wells, leachate collection ponds and treatment, and methane gas collection pipes. This study revealed that the surface water and groundwater at and nearby the landfill sites were contaminated at various levels due to the landfill sites and operation. A comparison between the current quality of surface water and groundwater with their respective standards and background levels was carried out to survey the trend of the contamination. However, the limited financial resources hindered a very thorough investigation and restricted the number of samples collected and parameters analysed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  9. Al-Hassoun, Saleh A., Mohammad, Thamer Ahmed
    MyJurnal
    Groundwater is the main source of water in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A larger part of groundwater is founded in alluvial (unconfined) aquifers. Prediction of water table elevations in
    unconfined aquifers is very useful in water resources planning and management. During the last two
    decades, many aquifers in different regions of the KSA experienced significant groundwater decline.
    The declines in these aquifers raised concerns over the quantity and quality of groundwater, as well
    as concerns over the planning and management policies used in KSA. The main objective of this study was to predict water table fluctuations and to estimate the annual change in water table at an alluvial aquifer at wadi Hada Al Sham near Makkah, KSA. The methodology was achieved using numerical groundwater model (MODFLOW). The model was calibrated and then used to predict water table elevations due to pumping for a period of 5 years. The output of the model was found to be in agreement with the previous records. Moreover, the simulation results also show reasonable declination of water table elevations in the study area during the study period.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  10. Ainon Hamzah, Tavakoli A, Amir Rabu
    Sains Malaysiana, 2011;40:1231-1235.
    Toluene (C7H8) a hydrocarbon in crude oil, is a common contaminant in soil and groundwater. In this study, the ability to degrade toluene was investigated from twelve bacteria isolates which were isolated from soil contaminated with oil. Out of 12 bacterial isolates tested, most of Pseudomonas sp. showed the capability to grow in 1 mM of toluene compared with other isolates on the third day of incubation. Based on enzyme assays towards toluene monooxygenase, Pseudomonas aeruginosa UKMP-14T and Bacillus cereus UKMP-6G were shown to have the highest ability to degrade toluene. The toluene monoxygenase activity was analysed by using two calorimetric methods, Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and indole-indigo. Both of the methods measured the production of catechol by the enzymatic reaction of toluene monooxygenase. In the HRP assay, the highest enzyme activity was 0.274 U/mL, exhibited by Pseudomonas aeruginosa UKMP-14T. However, for indole-indigo assay, Bacillus cereus UKMP-6G produced the highest enzyme activity of 0.291 U/ml. Results from both experiments showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa UKMP-14T and Bacillus cereus UKMP-6G were able to degrade toluene.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  11. Zulfahmi Ali Rahman, Umar Hamzah, Noorulakma Ahmad
    Hydrocarbon is a light-non aqueous phase liquid or known as LNAPL. It poses environmental hazard if accidentally spilled out into the soil and water systems as a result of its insoluble nature in water. LNAPL component infiltrates into soil through pore spaces and afloat at the top of groundwater level. Some of this hydrocarbon would trap and clog within the voids, difficult to remove and costly to clean. The occurence of hydrocarbon in the soil definitely degraded the behaviour of soils in terms of engineering properties. This study aimed to investigate the engineering properties of oil-contaminated soil for two different residual soils originally developed from in-situ weathering of granitic and metasedimentary rocks. The physical characterisations of the soil were determined including particle size distribution, specific gravity test and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The engineering parameters for the contaminated and uncontaminated soils were Atterberg limits, compaction and soil shear strength (UU tests). The amounts of hydrocarbon added to soil were varied at 0%, 4%, 8%, 12% and 16% of dried weigth of soil samples. The results from the particle size distribution analysis showed that residual soil from granitic rock comprises of 38% sand, 33% silt and 4% clay while metasedimentary soil consists of 4% sand, 43% silt dan 29% clay. The mean values of specific gravity for the granitic and metasedimentary soils were 2.56 and 2.61, respectively. The types of minerals present in granitic soil sample were quartz, kaolinite and gibbsite while metasedimentary soil consists of quartz and kaolinite. The Atterberg limits value decreased as a result of increasing amount of added hydrocarbon into the soil. A similar behaviouir was observed with the values of maximum dry density and optimum water content with increasing hydrocarbon content. The overall unconsolidated undrained shear strength, Cu showed a decreasing trend with the increase in hydrocarbon content.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  12. Nasiman Sapari, Hisyam Jusoh, Raja Zainariah Raja Azie
    Sains Malaysiana, 2011;40:1179-1186.
    Groundwater in fractured metasedimentary rock in Malaysia is a potential source of water for drinking and industrial uses. Industries including agricultural processing, mineral water bottling, manufacturing and golf courses pumped the water from the underlying fractured rocks. Fifty eight tubewells belong to private companies operating in various places in West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia were evaluated for their yield and quality of water. Rotary percussion methods were used for the drilling to a maximum depth of 200 m. The productivity of the wells and the characteristics of the aquifer were evaluated by pumping test using both the constant discharge rate and steps drawdown methods. The average yield of the wells at allowable drawdown of 40 m was found to be 416 m3 per day. Results from water quality analysis indicated that the water was fresh with an average total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 101 to 150 mg/L. The hardness of the water varies from as low as 13 mg/L to a maximum of 353 mg/L. On the average, the water was moderately hard with the average hardness value of 80 mg/L. The water facies of the groundwater was found to be of calcium-sodium-bicarbonate water.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  13. Isa NM, Aris AZ, Sulaiman WN
    Sci Total Environ, 2012 Nov 1;438:414-25.
    PMID: 23022725 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.08.069
    Small islands are susceptible to anthropogenic and natural activities, especially in respect of their freshwater supply. The freshwater supply in small islands may be threatened by the encroachment of seawater into freshwater aquifers, usually caused by over pumping. This study focused on the hydrochemistry of the Kapas Island aquifer, which controls the groundwater composition. Groundwater samples were taken from six constructed boreholes for the analysis and measurement of its in-situ and major ions. The experimental results show a positive and significant correlation between Na-Cl (r=0.907; p<0.01), which can be defined as the effect of salinization. The mechanisms involved in groundwater chemistry changes were ion exchange and mineralization. These processes can be demonstrated using Piper's diagram in which the water type has shifted into a Na-HCO(3) water type from a Ca-HCO(3) water type. Saturation indices have been calculated in order to determine the saturation condition related to dissolution or the precipitation state of the aquifer bedrock. About 76% of collected data (n=108) were found to be in the dissolution process of carbonate minerals. Moreover, the correlation between total CEC and Ca shows a positive and strong relationship (r=0.995; p<0.01). This indicates that the major mineral component in Kapas Island is Ca ion, which contributes to the groundwater chemical composition. The output of this research explains the chemical mechanism attributed to the groundwater condition of the Kapas Island aquifer.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater/analysis*
  14. Nasiman Sapari, Raja Zainariah Raja Azie, Hisyam Jusoh
    MyJurnal
    Hard rock formations consisting of granite and metasedimentary rocks in Peninsular Malaysia, have beenconsidered to be of poor aquifers. The map of shows the area underlain by hard rock as having poorto moderate potential for groundwater production (
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  15. Zaini Hamzah, Wan Noorhayani Wan Rosdi, Abdul Khalik Wood
    MyJurnal
    Well water is a renewable natural resources and one of the drinking water sources. The well water may constituted of dissolved essential chemicals such as K+, Ca''+ and Na+ ; and natural radionuclides such as radioisotopes from uranium-thorium decay series. The geology and mineral composition of the soil will determined the kinds and levels of chemical contents in the groundwater resources. The water flows through the geological formation and dissolved the chemicals before reaching the aquifers. To evaluate how much chemicals and natural radioactive in the water resources, a study has been carried out. Well water samples in this study were taken from 3 districts in Kelantan, which is Bachok, Machang and Kuala Krai. Similarly, in situ water quality parameters were measured using YSI portable water quality parameter include pH, salinity, dissolve oxygen(DO), conductivity, turbidity and total dissolved solids(TDS). The concentrations of K', Ca" and Na' were determined using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). Five ml of filtered sample was pipette into the sample cup and, irradiated and measured for 100 seconds counting times. The type of filter used for measuring If+ and Cat{ was Al-thin and default for Nat The ranged of concentration of Kt Ce and Na+ is 23.04-251.89, 3.12-.45.41, and 3.71-125.75 ppm, respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  16. Ahmad Saat, Nor Shazlina Zainal, Zaini Hamzah
    MyJurnal
    Ground water contain natural radioactivity associated with uranium and thorium that present naturally in rocks and soils. Humans may be exposed to the emission of energetic alpha particle from supported radon decaying process in this water when it is inhaled or ingested. Assessment of supported radon in ground water was carried out using fourteen ground water samples from Cameron Highlands. The measurement was accomplished by degassing the water samples using pump and then allowing the gas to flow into specially constructed 0.0191 m8 metal chamber. The activity concentration of supported radon in water sample was measured using continuous radon monitor inside the radon chamber. Measurement was carried out at one hour interval for twenty four hours. The hourly supported radon concentration was found to stabilize after about 8 hours. The stabilized concentration was used to determine supported radon activity concentration in the water samples. Results of the study show that depending on the sampling location, the activity concentrations of supported radon are in the range from 0.09 - 0.48 Bq/L which is lower than the activity concentration of radon in drinking water as proposed by USEPA (11 Bq/L).
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  17. Noorain Mohd Isa, Ahmad Zaharin Aris
    Sains Malaysiana, 2012;41:23-32.
    Classified as a small island, Kapas Island experiences major problems especially in supplying freshwater where groundwater abstraction is the only way to meet the demand of drinking water and domestic use. Groundwater samples were collected from seven constructed boreholes to examine the hydrochemistry properties of major ions and in-situ parameters as these could provide a basis for future reference. The chemical composition showed strong and significant correlation for each studied parameter; an indication of the effect of environmental variables to the groundwater composition. The composition changed from Ca-rich to Na-rich are explained mostly by mixing and cation exchange processes. This study provided an input for water management at Kapas Island where groundwater is a crucial resource to maintain the hydrogeological balance of the island.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater
  18. Kura NU, Ramli MF, Sulaiman WN, Ibrahim S, Aris AZ, Mustapha A
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2013 May;10(5):1861-81.
    PMID: 23648442 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10051861
    Groundwater chemistry of small tropical islands is influenced by many factors, such as recharge, weathering and seawater intrusion, among others, which interact with each other in a very complex way. In this work, multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate the factors controlling the groundwater chemistry of Kapas Island (Malaysia). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 17 hydrochemical parameters from 108 groundwater samples obtained from 18 sampling sites. PCA extracted four PCs, namely seawater intrusion, redox reaction, anthropogenic pollution and weather factors, which collectively were responsible for more than 87% of the total variance of the island's hydrochemistry. The cluster analysis indicated that three factors (weather, redox reaction and seawater intrusion) controlled the hydrochemistry of the area, and the variables were allocated to three groups based on similarity. A Piper diagram classified the island's water types into Ca-HCO3 water type, Na-HCO3 water type, Na-SO4-Cl water type and Na-Cl water type, indicating recharge, mixed, weathering and leached from sewage and seawater intrusion, respectively. This work will provide policy makers and land managers with knowledge of the precise water quality problems affecting the island and can also serve as a guide for hydrochemistry assessments of other islands that share similar characteristics with the island in question.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater/chemistry*
  19. Ashraf MA, Yusoff I, Yusof M, Alias Y
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2013 Jul;20(7):4689-710.
    PMID: 23292199 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-1423-x
    Field and laboratory studies were conducted to estimate concentration of potential contaminants from landfill in the underlying groundwater, leachate, and surface water. Samples collected in the vicinity of the landfill were analyzed for physiochemical parameters, organic contaminants, and toxic heavy metals. Water quality results obtained were compared from published data and reports. The results indicate serious groundwater and surface water contamination in and around the waste disposal site. Analysis of the organic samples revealed that the site contains polychlorinated biphenyls and other organo-chlorine chemicals, principally chloro-benzenes. Although the amount of PCB concentration discovered was not extreme, their presence indicates a potentially serious environmental threat. Elevated concentrations of lead, copper, nickel, manganese, cadmium, and cobalt at the downgradient indicate that the contamination plume migrated further from the site, and the distribution of metals and metals containing wastes in the site is nonhomogeneous. These results clearly indicate that materials are poorly contained and are at risk of entering the environment. Therefore, full characterization of the dump contents and the integrity of the site are necessary to evaluate the scope of the problem and to identify suitable remediation options.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater/analysis
  20. Hashim JH, Radzi RS, Aljunid SM, Nur AM, Ismail A, Baguma D, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2013 Oct 1;463-464:1210-6.
    PMID: 23759330 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.04.084
    Natural, inorganic arsenic contamination of groundwater threatens the health of more than 100 million people worldwide, including residents of the densely populated river deltas of South and Southeast Asia. Contaminated groundwater from tube wells in Cambodia was discovered in 2001 leading to the detection of the first cases of arsenicosis in 2006. The most affected area was the Kandal Province. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of arsenicosis in Cambodia based on acceptable criteria, and to investigate the use of hair arsenic as a biomarker not only for arsenicosis-related signs but also for associated symptoms. A cross-sectional epidemiological study of 616 respondents from 3 purposely selected provinces within the Mekong River basin of Cambodia was conducted. The Kandal Province was chosen as a high arsenic-contaminated area, while the Kratie Province and Kampong Cham Province were chosen as moderate and low arsenic-contaminated areas, respectively. The most prevalent sign of arsenicosis was hypomelanosis with a prevalence of 14.5% among all respondents and 32.4% among respondents with a hair arsenic level of ≥1 μg/g. This was followed by hyperkeratosis, hyperpigmentation and mee's lines. Results also suggest a 1.0 μg/g hair arsenic level to be a practical cut off point for an indication of an arsenic contaminated individual. This hair arsenic level, together with the presence of one or more of the classical signs of arsenicosis, seems to be a practical criteria for a confirmed diagnosis. Based on these criteria, the overall prevalence of arsenicosis for all provinces was found to be 16.1%, with Kandal Province recording the highest prevalence of 35.5%. This prevalence is comparatively high when compared to that of other affected countries. The association between arsenicosis and the use of Chinese traditional medicine also needs further investigation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Groundwater/chemistry
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