EC Pharmacology And Toxicology

Some areas and states of the Sudan suffer from scarcity of water from November to June, despite the high rainfall rates during the Autumn/kharif season (July-October). Therefore, people resort to water-harvesting ponds (haffirs) for drinking, agriculture and the domestic needs and activities. Haffirs store water during the rainy-season to be used from November up to June depending on their sizes and consumption rate. The objectives of the present study, as one of a series of studies on water in general, and haffirs water specifically, was to investigate the possibility of water contamination by heavy metals (HMs), using 2 methods, viz. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES 725 E) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAs). Water was collected from 3 haffirs, representing 3 regions within the Gedarif State (GS), and subjected to analysis. Water samples were taken every 2 wk from July to February. Samples were prepared as required for each method, and the concentrations of the HMs were determined. Precise and accurate measurements are paramount in the field of toxicology and nutrition. Both techniques have advantages, however, the ICP-OES is increasingly favored by scientists around the world. The HMs of concern were: Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, Mn, Ni, Mo, Ti, V, Sr, and Cr. The results of both techniques showed that levels of several HMs were higher than the WHO permissible levels (PLs). However, the results of the ICP-OES were by far higher than those of AAS. Toxicity is dose-dependent and depends also on frequency of exposure. The ICP-OES method seems to be more accurate than that of AAS in determining the HMs levels in water and must be the recommended method for decision-making.

 Keywords: Water-Harvesting Ponds; Haffirs; Heave Metals; Water Pollution; Contaminants; ICP-OES; Atomic Absorption; Gedarif; Sudan

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