Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration of Groundwater in Veppanthattai Block, Perambalur District, Tamil Nadu

The current study was aimed to find out the heavy metal concentration of groundwater in the Veppanthattai block. Here, 45 water samples from different sites were collected during the year 2015 at post monsoon, and Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn heavy metal content was analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), The obtained results were then compared with the WHO standard for the specific highest pollution level. Accordingly, some or all water samples are above the permissible limit, particularly for Cd metal (all samples). The elevated concentration of cadmium in water samples of the study area may be due to agricultural runoff, as pesticides and cadmium-containing fertilizer have been used. The study showed that without proper treatment, the groundwater of the study area is not suitable for domestic applications.