Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(4) (2022) 249-253 Boron Concentration in Groundwater from Southern Basrah Governorate - Iraq Mostafa A. Algrifia*, Thaer M. Salmanb a,b Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Basrah – Iraq A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: In southern Basrah in Iraq, this research is aimed at measuring the concentrations of Boron 10B5. Measuring the water wells and water samples collected at 43 different locations were carried out using the Inductively coupled plasma/Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) method. The concentration ranged from 0.2 mg/L (Al Marbad District) to 9.3 mg/L (Al Shuaiba farm 2). The study's findings are given and compared to those of other studies. These observations could be used to make an additionally unique contribution to the preservation and application of water quality standards to related organizations of radioactive contaminant- free samples required for humans if an incident of contamination occurs. Furthermore, 43 surface water samples were found to be more boron-like than detected levels. The increase in water flow outside the root level by the monsoon rain is responsible. This is due to acute boron contamination will therefore soon occur. Copyright © 2022 Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences. Published by International Research and Publishing Academy – Pakistan, Co-published by Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University – Iraq. This is an open access article licensed under CC BY: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Received on: May 23, 2022 Revised on: June July 5, 2022 Accepted on: June 05, 2022 Published on: October 01, 2022 Keywords: Boron ICP-OES Southern Basrah Governorate Water samples 1. Introduction 1Boron is a member of the non-metallic family of elements. It has an atomic number of 5 and a weight of 10.81. Boron has two isotopes: boron-10, which has a 19.8% abundance, and boron-11, which has an 80.2% abundance (Algrifi & Salman, 2022a). The same applies. It is found in rocks, soil, and water as a natural element. The Earth's crust content is estimated at 10 ppm and about 100 ppm in boron-rich areas (Algrifi, & Salman, 2022b). It is nor free in Earth but is linked to borax, turmaline, colemanite, kernite, and borate (Ismail & Jaafar, 2011; Ismail, & Jaafar, 2010; Naghii, Wall & Samman, 1996; Goldberg & Suarez, 2011). A boric acid, borates, and borate may be present in the environment utilized for moderately-disinfected items, make- up, and pharmaceuticals. Boric and boric acid can be used *Corresponding author: Mostafa A. Algrifi, Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Basrah – Iraq E-mail: mostafajawad88@gmail.com How to cite: Algrifi, M. A., & Salman, T. M. (2022). Boron Concentration in Groundwater from Southern Basrah Governorate - Iraq. Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences, 1(4), 249-253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48112/bcs.v1i4.257 in glass, soap, and powder cleaning and can result in environmental toxicity with the use of flame retardants and atomic neutron absorbers. Fertilizers are utilized in agriculture, pesticides, and herbicides since their usage is not mammalian and is insect resistant compared to organic pesticides (Çöl & Çöl, 2003; Altieri, et al., 2009). Boron is found in metamorphic and sedimentary rocks as borosilicate, which is resistant yet inaccessible to plants. Figure 1 contains some chemical boron compounds. Content lists available at: https://journals.irapa.org/index.php/BCS/issue/view/15 Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences J o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : https://journals.irapa.org/index.php/BCS 32-BCS-1046-257 https://journals.irapa.org/index.php/BCS/index https://irapa.org/ https://irapa.org/ https://en.atu.edu.iq/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 mailto:mostafajawad88@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.48112/bcs.v1i4.257 https://journals.irapa.org/index.php/BCS/issue/view/15 https://journals.irapa.org/index.php/BCS Algrifia & Salman Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(4) (2022), 249-253 250 Fig. 1. The borate anions are (a) CaB2O4, (b) KB5O8⋅4H2O, and (c) Na2B4O7⋅10H2O. The anion in CaB2O4 is an “infinite” chain Basic boron is insoluble in water (Ballarini, et al., 2010). The aim of this research is to look at the interactions that occur during water circulation, as well as to assess the risks of water samples in terms of their safety for creatures. This study included water samples from areas of the southern Basra Governorate in southern Iraq (Figure 2). Fig. 2. Southern Basra locations for the samples collected 2. Materials and Methods Water samples have been collected from 43 sites in the Governorate of Southern Basrah in April 2021. The boron concentration measurements were carried out in the laboratory of the Zarazma company centrally located in the vicinity of Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran by using an ICP-MS, Perkin device made in the USA. The ICP-OES technique was used to measure the amount of boron in water wells and water samples (Sawamura, et al., 1983). The (ICP-OES) is an efficient tool for determining how different samples contain metals. A multitude of different devices or sample injection procedures will then be used to inject samples into a radiofrequency-induced plasma of argon. The plasma sample nebula is quickly dried, evaporated, and propelled by high temperatures. A wavelength selection tool with a lens or mirror is gathered for the radial or axial configuration of the plasma-atomic emissions and photographed in the inner slit. The single element may be cost-effectively measured with a simple combination of monochromator/photomultiplier (PMT) and a combination of polychrome and a panel detector allows simultaneous multifactor detection of as much as 30 elements. In terms of sample volume and sensitivity, the analytical performance of these systems is comparable to that of the most inorganic analytical techniques. The ICP- OES method was used to collect and estimate the samples. 3. Results and Discussion Table 1 indicates Boron concentrations in water samples collected from several locations in southern Basrah, Iraq. In this study, water samples and water wells are discussed. Table 1 indicated that boron concentrations in water were somewhat greater than the majority of public tap water, well water, and surface water washes in the governorate for testing boron concentrations in water, in addition to Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the findings of 43 samples categorized Algrifia & Salman Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(4) (2022), 249-253 251 into 40 sites in the South Basrah governorate region, from W1 to W43. The highest boron content (9.3 mg/L) was found in the town of (Al Shuaiba farm (2) and the lowest boron concentration (0.2 mg/L) was found in the (Al Marbad District) region. WHO began managing boron levels (0.3-0.5 mg/L) in 1993 and ranked first in 1998. Furthermore, the 0.5 mg/L criteria were agreed upon in 2000, pending the results of additional research that may modify the current understanding of boron toxicity or boron-treatment technologies (Algrifi & Salman, 2022a). The European Union recommended in 1998 that boron levels in drinking water should not exceed 1.0 mg/L (Ogbonna, et al., 2011). A greater quantity of boron in water samples might be attributed to water-boron leaching since the highest transportable boron level is found in acidic water in the research locations (Subber & Ali, 2012; Pitrus & Amin, 1988). In addition, wastewater irrigation may be obtained by using boron compounds as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides regularly. As a result, boron leaching may occur underwater. Table 1 ICP-OES analysis of boron water samples in southern Basrah Governorate water Sites numbers Sites Boron Concentration mg/L W1 Sea side Dora 0.57 W2 Sihan 0.42 W3 Al Siba 0.48 W4 Ras Al Bisha 5.28 W5 FAO Center 1.09 W6 Al Mumlahih 5.63 W7 Hamdan 0.53 W8 Abu Mughira 0.53 W9 Al-Saraji 0.59 W10 Mhjran 0.52 W11 Muhilah 0.54 W12 Jaykur 0.58 W13 Al Baradhaiya 0.54 W14 Um Qasr farm 1 0.38 W15 Um Qasr farm 2 0.37 W16 Um Qasr farm3 4.3 W17 Um Qasr farm4 6.82 W18 Um Qasr farm5 5.26 W19 Um Qasr farm6 0.37 W20 Um Qasr Center 0.65 W21 Al Hadaama 6.8 W22 Khor Al Zubair Center 0.32 W23 Khor Al Zubair Farm1 4.91 W24 Khor Al Zubair Farm2 0.37 W25 Khor Al Zubair Farm3 0.32 W26 Zubair Center 0.23 W27 Al Easkari district 0.23 W28 Al Shuhada district 0.22 W29 Al Khatwa district 0.19 W30 Al Sahafiiyn district 0.47 W31 Al'athar 0.21 W32 Al Marbad 0.2 W33 Al Qaim District 0.21 W34 Al Burjsia 1.1 W35 Al Shuaiba Center 0.21 W36 Al Shuaiba farm1 5.68 W37 Al Shuaiba farm2 9.3 W38 Al Shuaiba farm3 7.72 W39 Al Shuaiba farm4 7.79 W40 Al Shuaiba farm5 6.66 W41 Al Siba (tap water) 0.4 W42 Hamdan (tap water) 0.48 W43 Jaykur (tap water) 0.48 Algrifia & Salman Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences 1(4) (2022), 249-253 252 Fig. 3. In the southern Basrah governorate boron concentration in water wells and water samples using ICP-OES 4. Conclusions The study discovered that water samples in the locations investigated are significantly mineralized. The ability to utilize samples of clean water is critical to both individual and public health. With the suspended isolation of water-sedimented soil and subsequently treating the water, good quality water samples have been preserved. Pollution control methods that prevent harmful materials from entering the water supply, as well as excellent organizational procedures at the water's surface, are likely to keep raw water supplies safe. As a result, a US Geological Survey (USGS) assessment contains almost 20% of private contamination, with 23% posing a serious danger to human health. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) drinking water guidelines, which ban more than 90 contaminants, do not apply to private water samples. The user must ensure the safety and purity of the water before it reaches the tap. It is the responsibility of the water owner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention applauds the fact that owners check their water once a year (CDC). Finally, the boron level varied from 0.2 mg/l to 9.3 mg/l in the water samples analyzed. The estimated values are higher than the acceptable IMAC limit of 5 mg/l. Competing Interests The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. References Algrifi, M. A., & Salman, T. (2022a). Boron determination in Basrah rivers using solid state nuclear track detector. Biomedicine and Chemical Sciences, 1(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.48112/bcs.v1i1.74 Algrifi, M. A., & Salman, T. M. (2022b). Measurements of boron concentration from rivers in northern Basrah Governorate using SSNTDs. Water Supply, 22(4), 4584- 4593. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2022.119 Altieri, S., Balzi, M., Bortolussi, S., Bruschi, P., Ciani, L., Clerici, A. M., ... & Ristori, S. 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