Determination of Cadmium from Well Water Samples Nearing an Industrial Area

Heavy metals are an important category of elements that are commonly used in the industrial sector. Among these elements, cadmium is utilized in various types of industries. It may accumulate in the environmental systems such as water and soil as a result of industrial activities. Exposure to cadmium may evoke several ill effects on human, plant, and animal life. The well water sources in the industrial areas face a major threat from the exposure of cadmium used by the industries. The guidelines of the World Health Organization only permit a maximum amount of 3μg per liter of drinking water. In this study, 14 well water samples from the industrial area of Ollur in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India are collected and the concentration of cadmium is identified. The analysis was conducted by using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscope (ICP-OES), which is a highly sensitive instrument used in the identification of trace elements. Among the 14 samples analysed, several samples exceeded the maximum accepted concentration of cadmium according to the guidelines of WHO.