Detection of trihalomethane (chloroform) in drinking water in Baghdad city

Abstract

This study designed to determine the chloroform concentration in drinking water in Baghdad city. The chloroform concentration specified into drinking wter into four portions per a week along two weeks in each month for three months of this study (August, October and December) , 2008 each portion has two samples, so the total number be 48 drinking water samples (sixteen samples per month as an equal portions for each project and district). Four projects of water supply filtration stations were selected in Baghdad city, two of them were in Kerkh side (include Qadissia water supply project and Al-karama water supply project). The other two projects in the Rusafa side, include Al-wahda and Al-Wathba water supply projects. In addition to the citizen district houses as Al-Qadissia, Al-Otayfia, Al-Karrada and Bab Al-Muathem respectively. The chloroform concentration was determined by the use of the Gas Chromatographic (GC) in the laboratories of the general technology state for water treatment which belongs to the Ministries of Science and Technology. The results revealed the concentration of drinking water in Baghdad city by chloroform, comparison of these results between each others revealed that the citizen district houses gave high average of chloroform concentration than the projects along the period of this study. According to the statistical data analysis it was found that the results in August were the highest and significantly transcend (p < 0.05) than the results reported in October and December in all the drinking water project and citizen district.On other hand it was noticed that the Wathba project and Bab Al-Muathem district houses significantly transcend (p < 0.05) than other water drinking projects and citizen districtsin the average mean along all month of study. In addition, the statistical data analysis found out a strong forward relation ship between the decrease chloroform concentration and decrease of temperature degrees whenever going to the cold season of the year, in all the water drinking project and citizen district.