Presence of silica in underground waters and possible health benefits

Published
2020-05-14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14295/ras.v34i2.29887
Keywords: Groundwater, silica, silicon, health, legislation. Águas subterrâneas, sílica, silí-cio, saúde, legislação.

    Authors

  • Erika de Almeida Sampaio Braga Universidade Federal do Ceará http://orcid-org/0000-0003-0132-6064
  • Marisete Dantas de Aquino Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Carlos Márcio Soares Rocha Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Luzia Suerlange Araújo dos Santos Mendes Universidade Federal do Ceará

Abstract

In the northeastern Brazil, groundwater, mainly during drought periods, is widely used to supply the population. The presence of silica in natural waters is quite common, since it is a natural constituent of soil and rocks. Although the Consolidation Ordinance 05, dated September 28, 2017 of the Ministry of Health, Annex XX, do not set a limit value for silica concentration to evaluate potability, in Chapter VII of the Mineral Water Code - Decree Law 7,841 of August 8, 1945, silicon is cited as one of the trace elements required by the human body. In this context and based on research done by other authors on the subject, this study aimed to study the possible benefits of the presence of silicon in these waters for health, as these waters are used to supply the population. Groundwater samples were collected in different municipalities in the State of Ceará. Colorimetric analysis was performed according to APHA (2012) and the results showed that 15 out of the 18 samples analyzed were in the range of 8.0 to 15.0 mgSi.L-1, indicating a correlation between water potability, according to research conducted in the United States of America.

How to Cite
Braga, E. de A. S., Aquino, M. D. de, Rocha, C. M. S., & Mendes, L. S. A. dos S. (2020). Presence of silica in underground waters and possible health benefits. Águas Subterrâneas, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.14295/ras.v34i2.29887