Taher Shahryari, Gholam Reza Sharifzadah, Mohammad Reza Miry, Rasoul Khosravi and Behnam Barikbin
Arsenic may be natural or synthetic in water. Arsenic is a toxic element that will be created many complications in human body. Our goal is to check arsenic levels in drinking water sources in the cities of South Khorasan in this study. Sampling was done in 1 liter polyethylene containers according to standard conditions by the experts were trained in environmental health. Samples were transferred to the laboratory and related tests were performed in accordance to recommended standards and atomic absorption system with graphite furnace method. Results were consistent with national and international standards and were judged about the status of water resources. The arsenic average was determined 0.01 ± 0.0059 with a minimum of zero and a maximum of 0.053 in 84 samples in this study. Arsenic levels are more than allowable maximum in Sarbisheh and Sarayan cities. The lowest arsenic in drinking water sources was observed in Nehbandan City (zero) and the highest arsenic in Sarbisheh City (x= 0.036). The average of arsenic levels was significantly lower than the standard in the cities of Birjand, Ferdows, Ghaen and Boshruyh. Except of Sarbisheh ans Sarayan that arsenic levels are more than allowable maximum, arsenic levels has not gone beyond the allowable maximum in other cities.
