Ecological and human health risks from metal(loid)s in peri-urban soil in Nanjing,China

In order to investigate the ecological and human health risks of metal(loid)s (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Mn, Cr, and As) in peri-urban soils, 43 surface soil samples were collected from the peri-urban area around Nanjing, a megacity in China. The average contents were 1.19, 67.8, 37.6, 105, 167, 44.6, 722, and 50.8 mg kg^?1 for Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, and As, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mn, and As (p < 0.01), and Cr had a significant positive correlation with Ni (p < 0.01). Geoaccumulation indices indicate the presence of Cd and As contamination in all of the peri-urban soil samples. Potential ecological risk indices show that the metal(loid)s in the soil could result in higher ecological risks. Cd is the main contributor to the risk, followed by As. The levels of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mn, and As in stomach and intestinal phases show a positive linear correlation with their total contents. Mn, Zn, Ni, Cd, and Pb in stomach phase showed higher bioaccessibility, while in intestinal phase, Cu, Cr, and As had the higher bioaccessibility. The carcinogenic risk in children and adults posed by As, Pb, and Cr via ingestion was deemed acceptable. The non-carcinogenic risks posed by these metal(loid)s via ingestion to children are higher than to adults and mainly result from As.     

太湖水华蓝藻中元素的组成及其环境意义

利用电感耦合等离子质谱仪对2008年7、9和10月采自太湖南泉水域的水华蓝藻样本中19种元素(Na、Mg、K、Ca、Zn、Mn、Fe、Al、Cu、Cr、Co、Ni、As、Se、Mo、Ag、Tl、Cd和Pb)的质量含量(w)及组成变化进行研究。结果表明,在藻华中w较高(1 000μg.g-1,以干质量计)的常量元素或有益元素为Ca、K、Na、Mg、Al、Fe。其中,w(Ca)和w(K)较高(4 000μg.g-1),w(Ca)随月份变化不大,而w(K)、w(Mg)、w(Na)则逐月升高。w(Al)、w(Fe)变化较大,7月最高(1 000μg.g-1),之后迅速降低(400μg.g-1);藻华中w在10~100μg.g-1之间变化的元素为Mn、Zn、Ni、Cu,其中,7月这4种元素w均最高,9~10月则降低。藻华中还检出痕量元素Co、Mo和Se,Tl未检出。藻华中积累的有毒元素中w(As)较高(5~15μg.g-1),而w(Cr)、w(Cd)、w(Pb)、w(Ag)均较低(5μg.g-1)。有毒元素w最高值均出现在7月。基于上述结果,推算出2007—2009年采取物理方法除藻从太湖中移除的元素量约为:K595.89 t、Ca 544.03 t、Mg 181.18 t、Al 83.06 t、Na 63.97 t、Fe 55.45 t、Mn 2.99t、Zn 2.26 t、Ni 1.67 t、Cu 1.11 t、As 0.76 t、Cr 94.5 kg、Cd 82.70 kg、Se 45.01 kg、Pb 37.64 kg、Co 32.27 kg、Mo5.41 kg和Ag 2.46 kg。该研究不仅可为进一步寻找关键元素在蓝藻水华爆发过程中的限制作用及其机制提供基础数据,同时也可为评价利用物理除藻方法去除太湖中有毒元素和降低有可能促进藻华发展的营养元素的负荷量的有效性,从而保护和修复渔业环境提供理论依据。     

Plants growing in a mining area: screening for metal accumulator plants possibly useful for bioremediation

A field study was conducted in an iron mine in Hamedan (Iran) to find native accumulator plants and to evaluate the extent of metal bioaccumulation in the naturally growing vegetation. The concentrations of total As, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Si, and Zn were found to be higher in the mine than in soil. These plants accumulated the highest amounts of the following metals in their roots: Euphorbia cheiradenia As, Stipa barbata Cd, Pb and Cr, Euphorbia macroclada Cu, Centaurea iberica Fe, Reseda lutea Mo, Salvia spinosa Ni and Zn, and Xanthium strumarium Se. In the aerial parts, the highest metal accumulation was found in Epilobium fragilis As, Carthamus oxyacantha Cd, Fe, Mn, and Pb, Verbascum speciosum Cu, Centaurea iberica Mo, Salvia spinosa Ni and Cr, Glaucium grandiflorum Se, and Malva neglecta Zn. Enrichment factors and bioconcentration factors were also determined; C. oxyacantha, S. spinosa, M. neglecta, C. iberica, V. speciosum, G. grandiflorum, and E. fragilis are the most effective accumulators and are proposed for phytoremediation of polluted soils.     

Biomagnification of trace elements in a benthic food web: the case study of Deer Island (Northern Yellow Sea)

In this study, we investigated the concentrations of ten trace elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, and As) and their trophodynamics in a benthic food chain of Deer Island, Northern Yellow Sea. The concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, and As in the food chain ranged from 3.2 to 23.2, from 71 to 227, from 7.4 to 45.6, from 0.44 to 5.80, from 0.73 to 7.60, from 0.14 to 1.65, from 0.68 to 6.70, from 0.08 to 1.86, from 0.08 to 1.18, and from 0.24 to 3.92 mg kg^?1 dry weight, respectively. Among these trace elements, the linear regression between the log-transformed concentrations of Hg and Cd and δ¹⁵N values showed statistically significant increase (p<0.05) with the slopes of 0.134 and 0.144, indicating biomagnification of Hg and Cd occurred in the benthic food chain of Deer Island. While the linear regression for other eight trace elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Ni, Cr, Pb and As) were characterised by extensive scatter with non-significant correlation coefficients (R ²=0.002–0.235) and slopes (p=0.079–0.875), indicating there were not biomagnified or biodiluted of these trace elements.     

Assessment of human health risks from heavy metals in outdoor dust samples in a coal mining area

Jharia (India) a coal mining town has been affected by the consequences of mining and associated activities. Samples of outdoor fallen dust were collected at different locations of Jharia covering four different zones: commercial, petrol pump, high traffic, and residential areas. The dust samples were analysed for different trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn). The highest concentration of the elements in the dust samples are Mn (658 mg/kg), Zn (163.6 mg/kg), Cr (75.4 mg/kg), Pb (67.8 mg/kg), Ni (66 mg/kg), Cu (56.8 mg/kg), Co (16.9 mg/kg), As (4.1 mg/kg), and Cd (0.78 mg/kg). The concentration of selenium was below detection limit. Except Cd, contents of all the other elements in the dust samples were significantly lower in the residential area. High amount of Ni (145 mg/kg) and Pb (102 mg/kg) was observed in the high traffic and petrol pump areas, respectively. The exposure risk assessment strategies are helpful in predicting the potential health risk of the trace elements in the street dust. Selected receptors for risk assessment were infants, toddlers, children, teens, and adults. The calculated hazard quotient (HQ) for lifetime exposure was <1.0 for all the elements studied, indicating no risks from these elements for adults Among the receptors, toddlers were found to be more vulnerable, with HQ for Co, Cr, and Pb > 0.1. The finding predicts potential health risk to toddlers and children.     

Risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in smaller than 100-μm street dust particles from a valley-city in northwestern China

Concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, Zn and Mo) in smaller than 100-μm street dust particles from Xining, a typical valley-city in northwestern China, were determined using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and their potential risks to local ecosystem and human health were assessed using potential ecological risk index and health risk model. The results indicate that the concentration of As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, Zn and Mo in the smaller than 100-μm street dust particles from Xining ranges from 0.8 to 11.1, 339.4 to 767.7, 27.2 to 110.2, 185.7 to 5134.5, 15.1 to 115.2, 150.1 to 623.5, 16.8 to 74.1, 24.4 to 233.0, 169.9 to 475.7, 47.4 to 96.8, 33.1 to 231.1 and 0.2 to 4.3 mg kg^?1, with an arithmetic mean of 3.6, 415.6, 50.1, 573.0, 40.6, 409.1, 22.6, 52.7, 257.8, 57.1, 108.6 and 2.5 mg kg^?1, respectively. Compared to the background value of local soil, the smaller than 100-μm street dust particles from Xining have elevated concentrations of Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Sr and Mo. The contamination levels of Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Sr and Mo are higher than As, Mn, Ni and V. The comprehensive potential ecological risk levels of PTEs were moderate to considerable. The non-carcinogenic risks of PTEs studied on children and adults due to dust exposure are limited except for Cr to children. Cr in the dust may pose a potential health risk to children; this should draw more attention.     

Mobility of toxic elements in carbonate sediments from a mining area in Poland

The Boles?aw–Bukowno mining area in Poland is highly polluted by elements such as Zn, Pb, Cd and As. The reactivity and mobility of toxic elements such as Tl are poorly known. Here, we studied by sequential extraction the mobility of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Pb, Tl and Zn in sediments from two water reservoirs near Bukowno. Results show that available As, Co, Mn, Pb and Zn are found in carbonate minerals. Available Cd, Cu and Tl are found in sulphides and organic matter. The extractability of As, Cr, Mo and Tl was rather poor. By contrast, 85 % of total Cd, Pb and Zn was mobile. We discuss Tl and Mo association in carbonate sediments from ore deposits.     

Contamination characteristics of trace metals in dust from different levels of roads of a heavily air-polluted city in north China

Concentrations of eight trace metals (TMs) in road dust (RD) (particles?<?25 μm) from urban areas of Xinxiang, China, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The geometric mean concentrations of Zn, Mn, Pb, As, Cu, Cr, Ni and Cd were 489, 350, 114, 101, 60.0, 39.7, 31.6, and 5.1 mg kg^?1, respectively. When compared with TM levels in background soil, the samples generally display elevated TM concentrations, except for Cr and Mn, and for Cd the enrichment value was 69.6. Spatial variations indicated TMs in RD from park path would have similar sources with main roads, collector streets and bypasses. Average daily exposure doses of the studied TMs were about three orders of magnitude higher for hand-to-mouth ingestion than dermal contact, and the exposure doses for children were 9.33 times higher than that for adults. The decreasing trend of calculated hazard indexes (HI) for the eight elements was As?>?Pb?>?Cr?>?Mn?>?Cd?>?Zn?>?Ni?>?Cu for both children and adults.     

Hazardous and essential trace elements profile in the different soft tissues of Lithophaga lithophaga (Linnaeus, 1758) from Southern Adriatic Sea (Italy)

A characterization study of 7 hazardous (Hg, Pb, Cd, As, Cr, U, and Ni) and 11 essential (Co, Mo, Se, Cu, Zn, V, Ca, Al, Sr, Mn, and Fe) trace elements in date mussels (Lithophaga lithophaga,Linnaeus, 1758) was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Date mussels (231 individuals), caught in the Gulf of Manfredonia (Southern Italy), were divided into 4 size-related groups. The different tissues (muscle, stomach, hepatopancreas and rest of soft tissues) were separated and analyzed to study the capability of absorption of this species. No particular differences were reported on the basis of the shell size; the soft tissues play an important role on the accumulation levels of hazardous and essential trace elements. These marine animals may be considered a good bioindicator of marine environmental pollution for their longevity and habitat permanence peculiarities.     

Hair geochemical composition of children from Vilnius kindergartens as an indicator of environmental conditions

The research is based on analysis data of Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, V, Zn (metals) and S in the hair of 47 girls and 63 boys from eight Vilnius kindergartens and the distribution pattern of high metal concentrations and bioavailability in snow-cover dust, also dust samples from vents of characteristic pollution sources. The kindergartens were selected according to topsoil total contamination index and dust-related indices. Significantly higher Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn concentrations in the hair of girls (means are 1.1, 1.9, 1.3, 1.2 times higher) and the differences between hair of genders according to inter-element correlation and clustering were found. Analysis of Spearman correlation coefficients between metal concentrations in hair of each gender and dust metal concentrations or metal loading rates at their residence sites revealed that for Mn, Cu and Zn, they are insignificant, while for Cr, Ni, Pb and V, they are mainly significant positive (except V in female hair). The correlation of the contents of Cr, Ni and V in dust with respective concentrations in hair was more significant for boys (p < 0.001) than for girls. Only a few cases with a significant Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb and Zn increase were revealed in hair of children attending polluted kindergartens in comparison with control. It was concluded that relationship between metal concentrations in hair and dust-related indices is more expressed for children’s residence sites than for their kindergarten sites. The gender-based grouping and site-by-site study design are recommended in the studies of reflection of environmental exposure in hair.     

Bioaccumulation and regional distribution of trace metals in fish of the Tibetan Plateau

There are limited data on trace metals in the fishes of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, 62 fish samples were collected from six alpine lakes and a river to investigate the levels and spatial variations of trace metals across the Tibetan Plateau. The concentrations of nine trace elements in fish samples were measured using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer after microwave digestion. Results showed the metal concentrations in the fish muscles had the following ranges: Cr 0.09–0.74 mg/kg, Mn 0.38–4.49 mg/kg, Ni 0.06–0.91 mg/kg, Cu 1.00–32.2 mg/kg, Zn 13.1–102.5 mg/kg, As 0.12–3.10 mg/kg, Pb 0.46–3.22 mg/kg, Ba 0.60–4.93 mg/kg, and Se 0.77–9.38 mg/kg on a dry weight basis, respectively. All the lake-averaged metal concentrations in the fish muscle were below the maximum permissible levels set by the Chinese food health criterion (GB2762-2012). The results were analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques to identify the major factors explaining the variance of metal concentrations in the alpine lakes. This work provides baseline data on metal pollution in common fish species of the Tibetan Plateau, contributing to the effective evaluation of both the environmental quality and health status of organisms in the aquatic ecosystem.     

Geographic variation in statolith trace elements of the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, in high seas of Eastern Pacific Ocean

We applied the solution-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to quantify trace elements in statoliths of Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, collected from the high seas off Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica by Chinese squid jigging vessels during 2007–2009. All squid samples were aged and their spawning dates were back-calculated based on daily increments in statoliths. The most abundant trace elements in the whole statolith were Ca and Sr followed by other elements in the order of Fe, Mg, Zn, Ba, Cu, Mn, Ni, Al, Cr, Co, and U. Significant differences in Mn and Sr were found among samples from the three regions. Sr, Ni, Mn, and Co contributed significantly to the discrimination among the regions, with Co responsible for explaining most of the variation, followed by Ni, Mn, and Sr. Squid from the high seas off Costa Rica could be separated from those off Peru and Chile mostly due to the differences in Ni, Sr, and Co, while samples off Peru and Chile could be distinguished mainly because of differences in Mn and Co. Discriminant function analysis suggested that the overall cross-validated classification rate was 85.6 % with samples off Chile having the highest correct identification rates and samples off Costa Rica having the highest false classification rates. Significant positive relationships were found between sea surface temperature (SST) and Cr/Ca, Mn/Ca, and U/Ca, and there was a negative relationship between SST and Cu/Ca, Sr/Ca. This study suggests that the spatial difference in trace elements of statolith can be used to separate geographic populations of D. gigas and that elements having significant relationships with SST can be considered as natural indicators of ambient temperature.     

池塘养殖及野外移殖三角帆蚌元素积累的差异

以从湖北公安养殖池塘移殖到三峡库区童庄河自然水域试养1 a和仍在原池塘养殖的同1批次三角帆蚌(Hyriopsis cumingii)为对象,用电感耦合等离子质谱仪测定了2地三角帆蚌软组织中K、Mg、Ca、Fe、Zn、Mn、Cu、As、Al、Cr、Ni、Se、Mo、Ag、Cd、Ti、Pb 17种元素的含量.结果表明,虽然2水域中三角帆蚌软组织内各元素含量间的高低差异具有相似的趋势,体现了三角帆蚌对元素积累的特征,但自然水域蚌中有9种元素的水平高于养殖水域,提示不同栖息环境背景对元素的积累水平能产生重要影响.自然水域单个三角帆蚌体内软组织中元素积累的平均负荷量普遍高于养殖池塘的个体,提示三角帆蚌具有显著的元素吸收、净化能力.本研究为今后通过大规模移殖双壳贝类来监测自然水域元素污染提供了依据.     

Calibration for the determination of 19 trace elements in serum and urine

A fast, high-throughput and accurate method was developed for determination of Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, U, Zn, Sb, Sn, I and Hg in urine and serum by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The samples were directly analyzed after 1/20 (v/v) dilution in 0.4% (v/v) HNO₃ and 0.005% Triton X-100. Three calibration modes were tested: aqueous and matrix matching with urine and serum. The accuracy was tested using reference materials of serum, urine and spiking. Results showed that the use of matrix matching calibration reduced the interferences and improved the recoveries for Al, Co, Pb and I in urine. The matrix matching did not affect the results considerably for serum. When serum was spiked with As, Co, Cs, Pb, U, Hg, I, Ba, Al, Cr and Ni, only matrix matching presented good recoveries. Helium was used as a collision cell gas reducing effectively polyatomic interferences for Al, Mn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn, As and Fe. Selection of the best internal standard was carried out for each element. The use of diluted HNO₃ improved the limit of detection. Finally, the method was applied successfully in samples of urine from workers occupationally exposed.     

Bioavailability and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in Thriasio Plain,near Athens,Greece

Elevated concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are usually found in areas of intense industrial activity. Thriasio Plain is a plain near Athens, Greece, where most of the heavy industry of the country has been situated for decades, but it also is a residential and horticultural area. We aimed at measuring the levels of PTEs in soils and indigenous plant species and assessing the health risk associated with direct soil ingestion. Samples of soils at roadsides and growing plants were collected from 31 sites of that area. Concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn were measured in both soils (as pseudo-total) and aerial plant tissues. We found that As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were higher than maximum regulatory limits. Element concentrations in plants were rather lower than expected, probably because indigenous plants have developed excluder behaviour over time. Copper and Zn soil-to-plant coefficients were highest among the other elements; for Cu this was unexpected, and probably associated with recent Cu-releasing industrial activity. Risk assessment analysis indicated that As was the element contributing more than 50 % of the health risk related to direct soil ingestion, followed by Cr, Pb, and, surprisingly, Mn. We concluded that in a multi-element contamination situation, elevated risk of PTEs (such as As, Cr and Pb) may reduce the tolerance limits of exposure to less-toxic elements (here, Mn).     

Speciation study of trace elements in surface sediment of Winam Gulf,Lake Victoria,by sequential extraction,aqua-regia acid digestion,and ICP-OES

The speciation of trace metals in surface sediment in Kisumu Carwash area of Winam Gulf, was studied and results compared with those found at Usoma beach which was found to be several orders of magnitude less polluted. High proportions of the metals were bioavailable (fractions 1–6) with BA% ranging from 21.7% (Al) to 94.5% (Pb) at Carwash and 19.6% (Al) to ～100% (for Cd and Pb) at Usoma beach. The readily mobilizable fraction (fractions 1–4) decreased in the order: Pb > Mn > Sn > Cu > Co > Zn > Mg > Cd > Mo > Ni > Cr > Fe > Al at Carwash and Mn > Mo > Sn > Pb > Cd > Mg > Cu > Zn > Co > Ni > Fe > Cr > Al at Usoma beach. The total Zn, Cd, Cr, and Cu sediment concentrations at Carwash were higher than the threshold effect concentrations (TECs), although their bioavailable concentrations were lower than these limits. Both the total and bioavailable concentrations of Pb in surface sediment at Kisumu Carwash area were higher than the TEC threshold limit indicating significant contamination from this heavy metal. Although there was a general good agreement on data obtained by sequential extraction as compared with those obtained by direct aqua-regia digestion, there were large discrepancies for some specific metal analytes which could be accounted for in terms of analytical variations and lack of uniformity in physical and chemical composition of the sediment samples analyzed.     

Source apportionment and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in road dust from urban industrial areas of Ahvaz megacity,Iran

This study investigates the occurrence and spatial distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Hg, Cd, Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Al, Fe, Mn, V and Sb) in 67 road dust samples collected from urban industrial areas in Ahvaz megacity, southwest of Iran. Geochemical methods, multivariate statistics, geostatistics and health risk assessment model were adopted to study the spatial pollution pattern and to identify the priority pollutants, regions of concern and sources of the studied PTEs. Also, receptor positive matrix factorization model was employed to assess pollution sources. Compared to the local background, the median enrichment factor values revealed the following order: Sb > Pb > Hg > Zn > Cu > V > Fe > Mo > Cd > Mn > Cr ≈ Co ≈ Al ≈ Ni. Statistical results show that a significant difference exists between concentrations of Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Sb, V and Hg in different regions (univariate analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test p < 0.05), indicating the existence of highly contaminated spots. Integrated source identification coupled with positive matrix factorization model revealed that traffic-related emissions (43.5%) and steel industries (26.4%) were first two sources of PTEs in road dust, followed by natural sources (22.6%) and pipe and oil processing companies (7.5%). The arithmetic mean of pollution load index (PLI) values for high traffic sector (1.92) is greater than industrial (1.80) and residential areas (1.25). Also, the results show that ecological risk values for Hg and Pb in 41.8 and 9% of total dust samples are higher than 80, indicating their considerable or higher potential ecological risk. The health risk assessment model showed that ingestion of dust particles contributed more than 83% of the overall non-carcinogenic risk. For both residential and industrial scenarios, Hg and Pb had the highest risk values, whereas Mo has the lowest value.     

Geochemical distribution of trace element concentrations in the vicinity of Boroo gold mine,Selenge Province,Mongolia

The environmental impacts of Boroo gold mine project in Mongolia was evaluated by chemical characterization of trace element concentrations in water, soils and tailing dam sediment samples. The results showed that concentrations of B, Cd, Ni and Se in the water samples were within the accepted levels of the Mongolia water quality standard (MNS4586: 1998). However, the concentrations of Al, As, Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb, U and Zn were higher than the maximum allowable concentration especially in the monitoring and heap leach wells. The average concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in the tailing dam sediment were 4419, 58.5, 56.0, 4.8, 20.6 and 25.7 mg/kg, respectively. Generally, arsenic and heavy metals in the soil samples were within the acceptable concentrations of the soil standard of Mongolia (MNS 5850: 2008). The chemical characterization of As solid phase in tailing dam sediment showed that the majority of As were found in the residual fraction comprising about 74% of total As. Assessing the potential risk to humans, simple bioavailability extraction test was used to estimate bioavailability of arsenic and heavy metals, and the concentrations extracted from tailing dam sediment were; 288.2 mg/kg As, 7.2 mg/kg Cd, 41.1 mg/kg Cu, 13.5 mg/kg Pb, 4.7 mg/kg Ni and 23.5 mg/kg Zn, respectively. From these results, the Boroo gold mine project has presently not significantly impacted the environment, but there is a high probability that it may act as a source of future contamination.     

Potentially toxic elements in some fresh water bodies in Ethiopia

A total of thirty three water samples were collected from Tinishu Akaki River, Lake Awassa, and Lake Ziway, Ethiopia. Multi-element determination of trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Ag, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb) in water samples was carried out by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after acidification with 1% HNO₃. The concentration (in µg?L^?1) of the elements were in the range of 1.0–19, <0.42–83, 1.1–1580, <45–1760, <0.11–2.0, 0.43–13, 0.77–13, 6–300, <0.94–2.0, <0.3–1.5, <0.012–0.63, 0.13–4.8, <0.29, and 0.2–7.2 for V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Ag, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb, respectively. The concentrations of all the quantified elements, with the exception of Mn, were in the range of the permissible limits of the Ethiopian, European Community, and World Health Organization for both drinking water quality guidelines and irrigation water guidelines. The accuracy of the method was validated by analyzing trace elements in water standard reference material (SRM 1643e). The measured values of trace elements in the SRM agreed well with the certified values at the 95% confidence level.