Analysis of arsenic monitoring in underground water of the Republic of Serbia for 2018-2020

Abstract

Arsenic is a heavy metalloid that occurs frequently in nature. The most serious repercussions for human health occur when it is found in drinking water (It can harm the circulatory, pulmonary, and nervous systems, as well as cause skin and other organs cancer). This paper presents the values of arsenic concentration in the Republic of Serbia's groundwater from 2018 to 2020, based on lab tests completed by the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency. Bearing in mind the fact that the Decree on Limit Values of Pollutants in Surface and Groundwater and Sediment and Deadlines for Reaching Them (Official Gazette of RS No. 50/12) does not prescribe limit values for arsenic in groundwater, as well as the fact that 75% of drinking water is supplied from groundwater, the results of testing the concentration of arsenic in groundwater are compared with the maximum allowed concentration of arsenic in drinking water prescribed by the Ordinance on the Hygiene of Drinking Water (Official Gazette of the FRY No. 42/98 and 44/99, Official Gazette RS No. 28/19). The concentrations of arsenic in eight piezometers were found to be above the maximum allowed concentration limit for drinking water for all three years. Having in mind the stated facts, it is necessary to update the regulations of the Republic of Serbia concerning the limit values of pollutants in groundwater, and to include the limit values for arsenic in it. The amendment of the regulation requires more detailed research regarding the concentration and origin of arsenic in groundwater.