DETERMINATION OF CONTAMINANTS IN DRINKING WATER IN YOZGAT, TURKEY

The aims of this study were to (1) ascertain the quality of diffused spring (drinking) water supplied to the city of Yozgat-Turkey for human consumptionby measuringthe major and trace elements, (2) compare the quality of the drinking water with valid international limit values, and (3) evaluate compliance with respect to International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines considering the occurrence of toxic and harmful elements in drinking water. All collected drinking water samples were analyzed in the Bozok University Science and Technology Application and Research Center (BILTEM) toxicology laboratory. The anions and cations of the water samples were analyzed by ion chromatography and the selected elements of the water samples were investigated using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The concentrations of contaminants were evaluated, and the levels of some parameters were above the WHO-specified maximum contaminant levels. This is the first study to investigate drinking water data for the province of Yozgat. It is also the first study to evaluate comprehensive parameters for drinking water in Turkey.