Browsing by Author "Lagos, Gustavo E."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Chemical characterization of blue stains in domestic fixtures in contact with drinking water
    (2008) Letelier, Maria V.; Lagos, Gustavo E.; Reyes, Arturo
    Bluish green staining in domestic fixtures was observed in three to 9-year-old houses in the city of Talca, located 256 km. south of Santiago, the capital of Chile. The houses contained copper pipes which were exposed to soft well water, with low pH and low buffer capacity. The aim of this paper is to establish the chemical composition of the stains and to determine the conditions by which they were formed. X-ray diffraction analysis of the stains revealed the presence of malachite, a copper compound that caused green coloring in kettles and water boilers. Dioptase, which is deep green in coloring, was identified in a bathtub tile. In one house, where blue stains were found in a toilet bowl, the presence of chrysocolla was suggested by means of X-ray fluorescence. In the field conditions studied it was concluded that the bluish green stains in bathroom home appliances were generated by the precipitation of copper compounds in places were leakages occur.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Winter exposure assessment of copper, zinc and arsenic in drinking water of inhabitants in Beijing, China
    (INDERSCIENCE ENTERPRISES LTD, 2011) Huang, Shengbiao; Xu, Peng; Lagos, Gustavo E.; Wang, Zijian
    Human exposure to Cu, Zn and As from drinking water in Beijing, China was estimated in winter. Cu, Zn and As were detected at 6.1, 400 and 0.6 mu g/L on average in stagnant water, significantly different from those in the actually ingested boiled tap water, 5.1, 130 and 2.4 mu g/L, respectively. Daily intake of Cu, Zn and As from drinking water was 0.8%, 7.7% and 28.5% of the minimum for adults recommended by WHO and varied among different age groups, as the highest occurred in the 64-year-old group, followed by the 20-64-year-old group.