摘要
Concentrations of eleven heavy metals （AI, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn） and pH determination in water from nine spade-sunk wells of 2-15 meter depth, five drilled wells of 30-72 meter depth, and two water supply faucets in the Kipushi mining town, south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, were investigated from February to July 2011. The results were compared with the World Health Organization （WHO） drinking water pH and heavy metal guidelines. Mean concentrations of Pb in water from four spade-sunk wells and three drilled wells, those of A1 and Fe in water from four and two spade-sunk wells, and those of Cd in water from four drilled wells were higher than the WHO drinking water maximum permissible contaminant limits of 0.01 mg/L, 0.2 mg/L, 0.3 mg/L and 0.003 mg/L respectively, probably due to the mining activities carried out in Kipushi for about 90 years. The pH mean values of water from five spade-sunk wells and three drilled wells were lower than the WHO drinking water pH optimum of 6.5-9.5, suggesting that the water from those eight wells was not conform to the chemical quality of water for human consumption.
