Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

Environmental risks of the heavy metal pollution of the river ecosystems in the Lake Sevan basin

5^th International Conference on Nanotek & Expo

November 16-18, 2015 San Antonio, USA

G Gevorgyan1, 4, S Khudaverdyan1, A Vaseashta2, 3, A Aleksanyan1,5

1Faculty of Radio Engineering and Communication Systems of Armenian National Polytechnic University, Armenia 2Institutes for Advanced Sciences Convergence & Int�??l Clean Water, USA 3International Clean Water Institute, Molecular Science Researc

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Nanomed Nanotechnol

Abstract:

The Lake Sevan basin is situated in the eastern part of the republic of Armenia (Gegharkunikmarz/province). Being a habitat for endemic fish species, the Lake Sevan basin has been affected by various anthropogenic factors such as domestic, agricultural and industrial activities, etc. It is also necessary to mention that Lake Sevan is the biggest freshwater supply in the Caucasus. That is why the Lake Sevan basin management has always been an important environmental issue for investigators and decision-makers. The heavy metal pollution of the some tributaries of Lake Sevan and related environmental risks were investigated. Water sampling was performed in August and December, 2014 from the 4 observation sites: Sotq river upstream (about 600 meters upstream from the Sotq gold mine) and the mouths of the Sotq, Masrik and Dzknaget rivers. Heavy metal (V, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Mo, Pb) concentrations in the water samples were determined by the standard methods using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.Integrated heavy metal pollution degree for the growth of fishes in the rivers was evaluated by Nemerow and Sumitomo�??s (Nemerow N. L and Sumitomo H., 1970) water pollution index (WPI). Health risks associated with the heavy metal pollution of water were studied via ingestion and dermal routes to recipients based on the USEPA risk assessment methodology. The results of the study showed that heavy metal content mainly increased from the upstream of the Sotq river to the mouth of the Masrik river, which may have been conditioned by the influence of gold mining activity as the Masrik and its tributary - Sotq rivers passing through the gold mining area undergo heavy metal pollution. The activity of the Sotq gold mine in the Lake Sevan basin caused the heavy metal pollution of the Sotq and Masrik rivers which, according to the Nemerow and Sumitomo�??s WPI values, may have affected the growth of hydrobionts especially impacting fishes negatively.Heavy metal content in the Sotq and Masrik rivers may have posed risks to human health in case of water use for bathing/showering and drinking purposes. The Dzknaget river mouth, which didn�??t undergo significant heavy metal pollution, were lightly polluted with heavy metals, and after some precautionary measures, it may have been used for different purposes.

Biography :

Email: gev_gor@mail.ru