Determination of 47 Elements in River Water Samples from the Himalayan Region by Tandem inductively Coupled Plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS)

To understand the effect of water quality by the complex interaction of geogenic factors such as rock-water interactions, natural weathering, climate change-related processes such as glacier melt, altered precipitation, and anthropogenic contamination by industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and urban waste, the water samples of some Himalayan rivers were analysed by a tandem ICP-MS (ICP-MS/MS) for 47 major, minor, and trace elements, including rare earth elements (REE). The water samples collected were from seven rivers, namely, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Ganga, Kaudiyala, Shivpuri, Rishikesh, and Haridwar Rivers in the Himalayan region of India. In addition, spring, tap water, and commercial mineral water samples in Dehradun City were also analysed to see if the water quality conforms to the international acceptable standards for drinking. Tandem ICP-MS provides significant advantages for drinking water quality monitoring by offering high sensitivity with detection limits for several elements across the periodic table, in the pg/ml range, multi-element capability, and superior control over spectral interferences. The water samples were found to be safe when compared to the safe limits proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In addition, the established baseline concentrations of different trace and ultra-trace elements will be useful for future water pollution studies in this area.