On January 2, 2010 the Nyamuragira volcano erupted lava fountains extending up to 300m vertically along an ∼1.5km segment of its southern flank cascading ash and gas on nearby villages and cities along the western side of the rift valley. Because rain water is the only available potable water resource within this region, volcanic impacts on drinking water constitutes a major potential hazard to public health within the region. During the 2010 eruption, concerns were expressed by local inhabitants about water quality and feelings of physical discomfort (e.g. nausea, bloating, indigestion, etc.) after consuming rain water collected after the eruption began. We present the elemental and ionic chemistry of drinking water samples collected within the region on the third day of the eruption (January 5, 2010). We identify a significant impact on water quality associated with the eruption including lower pH (i.e. acidification) and increases in acidic halogens (e.g. F- and Cl-), major ions (e.g. SO42-, NH4+, Na+, Ca2+), potentially toxic metals (e.g. Al3+, Mn2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Hf4+), and particulate load. In many cases, the water's composition significantly exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. The degree of pollution depends upon: (1) ash plume direction and (2) ash plume density. The potential negative health impacts are a function of the water's pH, which regulates the elements and their chemical form that are released into drinking water. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Impact of volcanic plume emissions on rain water chemistry during the January 2010 Nyamuragira eruptive event: Implications for essential potable water resources

TEDESCO, Dario;
2013

Abstract

On January 2, 2010 the Nyamuragira volcano erupted lava fountains extending up to 300m vertically along an ∼1.5km segment of its southern flank cascading ash and gas on nearby villages and cities along the western side of the rift valley. Because rain water is the only available potable water resource within this region, volcanic impacts on drinking water constitutes a major potential hazard to public health within the region. During the 2010 eruption, concerns were expressed by local inhabitants about water quality and feelings of physical discomfort (e.g. nausea, bloating, indigestion, etc.) after consuming rain water collected after the eruption began. We present the elemental and ionic chemistry of drinking water samples collected within the region on the third day of the eruption (January 5, 2010). We identify a significant impact on water quality associated with the eruption including lower pH (i.e. acidification) and increases in acidic halogens (e.g. F- and Cl-), major ions (e.g. SO42-, NH4+, Na+, Ca2+), potentially toxic metals (e.g. Al3+, Mn2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Hf4+), and particulate load. In many cases, the water's composition significantly exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. The degree of pollution depends upon: (1) ash plume direction and (2) ash plume density. The potential negative health impacts are a function of the water's pH, which regulates the elements and their chemical form that are released into drinking water. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11591/227708
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 47
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 47
social impact