Influence of Eutrophication on Arsenic Speciation in Lake Waters

Abstract

In this study, we assessed the influence of eutrophication on arsenic speciation in lake waters. By combining hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry with ultraviolet irradiation, inorganic, methyl and ultraviolet-labile fractions of arsenic were determined. Organoarsenicals, which are methyl and ultraviolet-labile arsenic, composed 30-60% of the total arsenic in most lakes in the summer of 2007. On the other hand, the percentage of ultraviolet-labile fractions was higher in eutrophic lakes. For the seasonal changes, the percentage of DMAA was higher in the winter of 2008. The observed results suggest that the conversion of inorganoarsenicals to the more complicated organoarsenicals was higher in the eutrophic lake.