SSU Water Quality

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to see how the water around Salem State University's campus fared with that of national standards. Since water can contain many contaminants such as metals, pesticides, and toxins, it is important to know if standards are being upheld. The metals copper (Cu), iron (Fe), calcium, (Ca), and zinc (Zn) were tested, along with the non-metal fluoride (F). The atomic absorption machine (AA) was used to find the concentration of each metal in parts per million (ppm). A new fluoride ion-selective electrode was used to determine the concentration of the fluoride in ppm in the water samples. The water tested was taken from each residence hall and campus building, and from multiple sources in each building. The main objective was to see if Salem State University's water was up to standards.