Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Retardation of arsenic transport through a Pleistocene aquifer

Nature volume 501, pages 204–207 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Groundwater drawn daily from shallow alluvial sands by millions of wells over large areas of south and southeast Asia exposes an estimated population of over a hundred million people to toxic levels of arsenic1. Holocene aquifers are the source of widespread arsenic poisoning across the region2,3. In contrast, Pleistocene sands deposited in this region more than 12,000 years ago mostly do not host groundwater with high levels of arsenic. Pleistocene aquifers are increasingly used as a safe source of drinking water4 and it is therefore important to understand under what conditions low levels of arsenic can be maintained. Here we reconstruct the initial phase of contamination of a Pleistocene aquifer near Hanoi, Vietnam. We demonstrate that changes in groundwater flow conditions and the redox state of the aquifer sands induced by groundwater pumping caused the lateral intrusion of arsenic contamination more than 120 metres from a Holocene aquifer into a previously uncontaminated Pleistocene aquifer. We also find that arsenic adsorbs onto the aquifer sands and that there is a 16–20-fold retardation in the extent of the contamination relative to the reconstructed lateral movement of groundwater over the same period. Our findings suggest that arsenic contamination of Pleistocene aquifers in south and southeast Asia as a consequence of increasing levels of groundwater pumping may have been delayed by the retardation of arsenic transport.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Map of the Hanoi area extending south to the study site.
Figure 2: Contoured sections of sediment and water properties based on data collected between 1.3 km and 2.0 km from the Red River bank.
Figure 3: Distribution of arsenic and dissolved organic carbon in groundwater within the 25–30-m depth interval along the Van Phuc transect.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ravenscroft, P., Brammer, H. & Richards, K. Arsenic Pollution: A Global Synthesis (RGS-IBG Book Series, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. BGS/DPHE. (British Geological Survey, Department of Public Health Engineering) Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in Bangladesh Final Report, http://www.bgs.ac.uk/arsenic/bangladesh/ (British Geological Survey, 2001)

  3. Fendorf, S., Michael, H. A. & van Geen, A. Spatial and temporal variations of groundwater arsenic in south and southeast Asia. Science 328, 1123–1127 (2010)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ahmed, M. F. et al. Epidemiology: ensuring safe drinking water in Bangladesh. Science 314, 1687–1688 (2006)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Berg, M. et al. Magnitude of arsenic pollution in the Mekong and Red River deltas—Cambodia and Vietnam. Sci. Total Environ. 372, 413–425 (2007)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Eiche, E. et al. Geochemical processes underlying a sharp contrast in groundwater arsenic concentrations in a village on the Red River delta, Vietnam. Appl. Geochem. 23, 3143–3154 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Funabiki, A., Haruyama, S., Quy, N. V., Hai, P. V. & Thai, D. H. Holocene delta plain development in the Song Hong (Red River) delta, Vietnam. J. Asian Earth Sci. 30, 518–529 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Larsen, F. et al. Controlling geological and hydrogeological processes in an arsenic contaminated aquifer on the Red River flood plain, Vietnam. Appl. Geochem. 23, 3099–3115 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Thu, T. M. & Fredlund, D. G. Modelling subsidence in the Hanoi City area, Vietnam. Can. Geotech. J. 37, 621–637 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Berg, M. et al. Hydrological and sedimentary controls leading to arsenic contamination of groundwater in the Hanoi area, Vietnam: the impact of iron-arsenic ratios, peat, river bank deposits, and excessive groundwater abstraction. Chem. Geol. 249, 91–112 (2008)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Winkel, L. H. E. et al. Arsenic pollution of groundwater in Vietnam exacerbated by deep aquifer exploitation for more than a century. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 108, 1246–1251 (2011)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. McArthur, J. M. et al. How paleosols influence groundwater flow and arsenic pollution: a model from the Bengal Basin and its worldwide implication. Wat. Resour. Res. 44, W11411 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Horneman, A. et al. Decoupling of As and Fe release to Bangladesh groundwater under reducing conditions. Part I: evidence from sediment profiles. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 3459–3473 (2004)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Postma, D. et al. Groundwater arsenic concentrations in Vietnam controlled by sediment age. Nature Geosci. 5, 656–661 (2012)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Postma, D. et al. Arsenic in groundwater of the Red River floodplain,Vietnam: controlling geochemical processes and reactive transport modeling. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 71, 5054–5071 (2007)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kipfer, R., Aeschbach-Hertig, W., Peeters, F. & Stute, M. Noble gases in lakes and ground waters. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 47, 615–700 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Stollenwerk, K. G. et al. Arsenic attenuation by oxidized aquifer sediments in Bangladesh. Sci. Total Environ. 379, 133–150 (2007)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. van Geen, A. et al. Flushing history as a hydrogeological control on the regional distribution of arsenic in shallow groundwater of the Bengal Basin. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42, 2283–2288 (2008)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Nath, B. et al. Mobility of arsenic in the sub-surface environment: an integrated hydrogeochemical study and sorption model of the sandy aquifer materials. J. Hydrol. 364, 236–248 (2009)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Itai, T. et al. Variations in the redox state of As and Fe measured by X-ray absorption spectroscopy in aquifers of Bangladesh and their effect on As adsorption. Appl. Geochem. 25, 34–47 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Radloff, K. A. et al. Arsenic migration to deep groundwater in Bangladesh influenced by adsorption and water demand. Nature Geosci. 4, 793–798 (2011)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Jessen, S. et al. Surface complexation modeling of groundwater arsenic mobility: results of a forced gradient experiment in a Red River flood plain aquifer, Vietnam. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 98, 186–201 (2012)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Dhar, R. K. et al. Microbes enhance mobility of arsenic in Pleistocene aquifer sand from Bangladesh. Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 2648–2654 (2011)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Islam, F. S. et al. Role of metal-reducing bacteria in arsenic release from Bengal delta sediments. Nature 430, 68–71 (2004)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Polizzotto, M. L., Kocar, B. D., Benner, S. B., Sampson, M. & Fendorf, S. Near-surface wetland sediments as a source of arsenic release to ground water in Asia. Nature 454, 505–508 (2008)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Neumann, R. B. et al. Anthropogenic influences on groundwater arsenic concentrations in Bangladesh. Nature Geosci. 3, 46–52 (2010)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Mailloux, B. J. et al. Advection of surface-derived organic carbon fuels microbial reduction in Bangladesh groundwater. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 110, 5331–5335 (2013)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Mukherjee, A. et al. Elevated arsenic in deeper groundwater of the western Bengal basin, India: extent and controls from regional to local scale. Appl. Geochem. 26, 600–613 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. McArthur, J. M. et al. Migration of As, and 3H-3He ages, in groundwater from West Bengal: implications for monitoring. Water Res. 44, 4171–4185 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Beyerle, U. et al. A mass spectrometric system for the analysis of noble gases and tritium from water samples. Environ. Sci. Technol. 34, 2042–2050 (2000)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. van Geen, A. et al. Comparison of arsenic concentrations in simultaneously-collected groundwater and aquifer particles from Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, and Nepal. Appl. Geochem. 23, 3244–3251 (2008)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Zheng, Y. et al. Geochemical and hydrogeological contrasts between shallow and deeper aquifers in two villages of Araihazar, Bangladesh: implications for deeper aquifers as drinking water sources. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 69, 5203–5218 (2005)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Frei, F. Groundwater dynamics and arsenic mobilization near Hanoi (Vietnam) assessed using noble gases and tritium. Diploma thesis, ETH Zurich. (2007)

  34. Klump, S. et al. Groundwater dynamics and arsenic mobilization in Bangladesh assessed using noble gases and tritium. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40, 243–250 (2006)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. Stute, M. et al. Hydrological control of As concentrations in Bangladesh groundwater. Wat. Resour. Res. 43, W09417 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  36. Cheng, Z., Zheng, Y., Mortlock, R. & van Geen, A. Rapid multi-element analysis of groundwater by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 379, 512–518 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. van Geen, A. et al. Monitoring 51 deep community wells in Araihazar, Bangladesh, for up to 5 years: implications for arsenic mitigation. J. Environ. Sci. Health A 42, 1729–1740 (2007)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Koroleff, F. In Methods of Seawater Analysis (ed. Grasshoft, K. ) 126–133 (Chemie, 1974)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by NSF grant EAR 09-11557, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, grant NAFOSTED 105-09-59-09 to CETASD, and NIEHS grants P42 ES010349 and P42 ES016454. This is Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory contribution number 7698.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kathleen Radloff, Zahid Aziz & Beth Weinman

    Present address: Present addresses: Gradient, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA (K.R.); Sadat Associates, Trenton, New Jersey 08610, USA (Z.A.); Earth and Environmental Sciences, California State University, Fresno, California 93740, USA (B.W.).,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), Columbia University, Palisades, 10964, New York, USA

    Alexander van Geen, Benjamín C. Bostick, Kathleen Radloff, Zahid Aziz & Jacob L. Mey

  2. Research Centre for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD), Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Pham Thi Kim Trang, Vi Mai Lan, Nguyen-Ngoc Mai, Phu Dao Manh & Pham Hung Viet

  3. Department of Physical Sciences, Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, 11235, New York, USA

    Jacob L. Mey

  4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Mason O. Stahl & Charles F. Harvey

  5. Anchor QEA, Montvale, 07645, New Jersey, USA

    Peter Oates

  6. Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37235, Tennessee, USA

    Beth Weinman

  7. Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland,

    Caroline Stengel, Felix Frei, Rolf Kipfer & Michael Berg

  8. Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich ETHZ 8092, Switzerland,

    Rolf Kipfer

Authors
  1. Alexander van Geen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Benjamín C. Bostick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pham Thi Kim Trang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vi Mai Lan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nguyen-Ngoc Mai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Phu Dao Manh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Pham Hung Viet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Kathleen Radloff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Zahid Aziz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jacob L. Mey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Mason O. Stahl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Charles F. Harvey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Peter Oates
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Beth Weinman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Caroline Stengel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. Felix Frei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Rolf Kipfer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Michael Berg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

A.v.G., M.B., P.T.K.T., P.O. and B.C.B. conceived the study. V.M.L., N.-N.M, P.D.M., P.T.K.T. and P.H.V. were responsible for organizing the field work and carrying out the monitoring throughout the study. K.R., Z.A. and B.W. participated in the field work in 2006. M.O.S. processed the hydrological data and carried out the flow modelling under the supervision of C.F.H. and P.O. J.L.M. was responsible for groundwater analyses at LDEO, C.S. for those at Eawag, and F.F. for noble gas measurements in R.K.’s laboratory. A.v.G. drafted the paper, which was then edited by all co-authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander van Geen.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-8, a Supplementary Discussion, Supplementary References and Supplementary Table 1. (PDF 1066 kb)

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van Geen, A., Bostick, B., Thi Kim Trang, P. et al. Retardation of arsenic transport through a Pleistocene aquifer. Nature 501, 204–207 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12444

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12444

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing