Assessment of drinking water quality in Tirana city, Albania

Abstract

The analysis of drinking-water for metal contamination is an important step in ensuring human and environmental health. Samples were analyzed in order to determine the water quality in 30 tap from Tirana, Albania during the year 2018. The concentrations of 26 metals (µg/L) in drinking-water samples were determined using ICP-MS for all samples collected from different sites. With purpose to see if the concentrations of these elements in water have a negative impact on health problems, the results obtained were compared with the standard classification proposed by the WHO. From the comparison is obviously that the drinking water of Tirana is within the permitted norms regarding the metal content. The data set obtained was subjected to the FA analysis to identify water quality variables. Four dominant factors were extracted. FA1 represent the association of Na, Mg, Al, K, V, As, Se, Mo, Sb and Ba with lithogenic and anthropogenic emission (elements derived from traffic), and FA3 (Ni, Cu, Zn, Hg and Pb) is probably related to the influence of the old pipelines or their aerial deposition at the source.