Uranium in Kosovo’s drinking water |
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Authors: | Fatlume Berisha Walter Goessler |
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Institution: | Karl-Franzens-Universität, Stremayrgasse 16, A-8010 Graz, Austria |
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Abstract: | The results of this paper are an initiation to capture the drinking water and/or groundwater elemental situation in the youngest European country, Kosovo. We aim to present a clear picture of the natural uranium concentration in drinking water and/or groundwater as it is distributed to the population of Kosovo. Nine hundred and fifty-one (951) drinking water samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The results are the first countrywide interpretation of the uranium concentration in drinking water and/or groundwater, directly following the Kosovo war of 1999. More than 98% of the samples had uranium concentrations above 0.01 μg L−1, which was also our limit of quantification. Concentrations up to 166 μg L−1 were found with a mean of 5 μg L−1 and median 1.6 μg L−1 were found. Two point six percent (2.6%) of the analyzed samples exceeded the World Health Organization maximum acceptable concentration of 30 μg L−1, and 44.2% of the samples exceeded the 2 μg L−1 German maximum acceptable concentrations recommended for infant food preparations. |
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Keywords: | Uranium Kosovo Drinking water Groundwater ICPMS |
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