Assessment of Arsenic, Chromium, and Lead Levels in Drinking Water After the 2023 Türkiye-Suriye Earthquakes: Implications for Public Health

Objective: The 7.8 and subsequent 7.7 magnitude earthquakes that occurred in Türkiye on February 6, 2023, damaged tens of thousands of buildings and caused widespread destruction in Malatya. This study aims to assess the potential impacts of structural damage on drinking water quality. Materials and Methods: Two pools were sampled using tap water (TW) from 10 locations in the Yeşilyurt and Battalgazi districts, and bottled water (BW) from 10 brands sourced from Malatya and surrounding provinces. Onethird of the water from each pool was removed, and the remaining water of TW and BW was boiled to prepare tea and coffee samples. This resulted in six sample groups: tap water (TW), bottled water (BW), tea made with bottled water (T-BW), tea made with tap water (T-TW), coffee made with bottled water (C-BW), and coffee made with tap water (C-TW). Results: While the As level was measured at 0.628 µg/L in TW and BW samples, Cr and Pb values remained below the measurement limits; however, the lack of a specified limit in the relevant legislation for coffee/tea samples limited the study. Conclusions: This study shows that As, Cr, and Pb levels in both TW and BW samples are within acceptable limits. However, long-term monitoring of heavy metal accumulation and evaluation of multidimensional environmental factors affecting water quality, as well as other metals, are required.