The use of in vitro methods in assessing human health risks associated with short‐chain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent synthetic organic contaminants that can cause serious human health concerns such as obesity, liver damage, kidney cancer, hypertension, immunotoxicity and other human health issues. Integrated crop–livestock systems combine agricultural crop production with milk and/or meat production and processing. Key sources of PFAS in these systems include firefighting foams near military bases, wastewater sludge and industrial discharge. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances regularly move from soils to nearby surface water and/or groundwater because of their high mobility and persistence. Irrigating crops or managing livestock for milk and meat production using adjacent waters can be detrimental to human health. The presence of PFAS in both groundwater and milk have been reported in dairy production states (e.g., Wisconsin and New Mexico) across the United States. Although there is a limit of 70 parts per trillion of PFAS in drinking water by the U.S. EPA, there are not yet regional screening guidelines for conducting risk assessments of livestock watering as well as the soil and plant matrix. This systematic review includes (i) the sources, impacts and challenges of PFAS in integrated crop–livestock systems, (ii) safety measures and protocols for sampling soil, water and plants for determining PFAS concentration in exposed integrated crop–livestock systems and (iii) the assessment, measurement and evaluation of human health risks related to PFAS exposure.

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Human Health Risk and Bioaccessibility of Toxic Metals in Topsoils from Gbani Mining Community in Ghana

Journal of Health and Pollution ◽

10.5696/2156-9614-9.22.190602 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (22) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Godfred Darko ◽

Kwadwo Owusu Boakye ◽

Marian Asantewaa Nkansah ◽

Opoku Gyamfi ◽

Eugene Ansah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Health Risks ◽

Ecological Risk ◽

Toxic Metals ◽

Risk Index ◽

Hazard Index ◽

Human Health Risks ◽

Mining Community ◽

In Vitro Bioaccessibility

Background. Anthropogenic activities such as artisanal mining pose a major environmental health concern due to the potential for discharge of toxic metals into the environment. Objectives. To determine the distribution and pollution patterns of arsenic (As), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the topsoil of a mining community in Ghana, along with potential human health risks and in vitro bioaccessibility. Methods. Concentrations of metals were determined using X-ray fluorescence techniques and validated using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results. Concentrations of the metals in topsoil were in the order of magnitude of Cu (31.38 mg/kg) < Ni (45.39 mg/kg) < As (59.66 mg/kg) < Cr (92.87 mg/kg) < Zn (106.98 mg/kg) < Mn (1195.49 mg/kg) < Fe (30061.02 mg/kg). Geo-statistical and multivariate analyses based on hazard indices including contamination, ecological risks, geo-accumulation, and pollution load suggest that the topsoils are contaminated in the study area. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) showed high ecological risk effects (PERI=269.09), whereas the hazard index (1×10−7) and carcinogenic risk index (1×10−5) indicated low human health risks. Elevated levels of As, Cr, Ni, and Zn were found to emanate from anthropogenic origins, whereas Fe, Mn, and Cu levels were attributed mainly to geological and atmospheric depositions. Physicochemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity and total organic carbon) showed weak positive correlations to the metal concentrations. Elemental bioaccessibility was variable, decreasing in the order of Mn (35± 2.9%) > Cu (29± 2.6%) > Ni (22± 1.3%) > As (9± 0.5%) > Cr (4± 0.6%) > Fe (2± 0.4%). Conclusions. Incorporation of in-vitro bioaccessibility into the risk characterization models resulted in a hazard index of less than 1, implying low human health risks. However, due to accumulation effects of the metals, regular monitoring is required. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Mapping of human health risks arising from soil nickel and mercury contamination

Journal of Hazardous Materials ◽

10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.11.040 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 244-245 ◽

pp. 225-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Mojgan Yeganeh ◽

Majid Afyuni ◽

Amir-Hosein Khoshgoftarmanesh ◽

Loghman Khodakarami ◽

Manouchehr Amini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Health Risks ◽

Mercury Contamination ◽

Human Health Risks

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Groundwater Quality and Potential Human Health Risk Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes: A Case Study in the Semiarid Region of North China

Water ◽

10.3390/w13060783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 783

Author(s):

Feifei Chen ◽

Leihua Yao ◽

Gang Mei ◽

Yinsheng Shang ◽

Fansheng Xiong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Human Health ◽

Health Risks ◽

North China ◽

Shanxi Province ◽

Hydrochemical Characteristics ◽

Human Health Risks ◽

Drinking And Irrigation ◽

Hydrochemical Types ◽

Potential Human Health

Groundwater is a valuable water source for drinking and irrigation purposes in semiarid regions. Groundwater pollution may affect human health if it is not pretreated and provided for human use. This study investigated the hydrochemical characteristics driving groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes and potential human health risks in the Xinzhou Basin, Shanxi Province, North China. More specifically, we first investigated hydrochemical characteristics using a descriptive statistical analysis method. We then classified the hydrochemical types and analyzed the evolution mechanisms of groundwater using Piper and Gibbs diagrams. Finally, we appraised the groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes using the entropy water quality index (EWQI). We assessed the associated human health risks for different age and sex groups through drinking intake and dermal contact pathways. Overall, we found that (1) Ca-HCO3 and Ca·Mg-HCO3 were the dominant hydrochemical types and were mainly governed by rock weathering and water–rock interactions. (2) Based on the EWQI classifications, 67.74% of the groundwater samples were classified as medium quality and acceptable for drinking purpose. According to the values of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and soluble sodium percentage (%Na), 90.32% of the samples were suitable for irrigation, while the remaining samples were unfit for irrigation because of the high salinity in the groundwater. (3) Some contaminants in the groundwater, such as NO3−, NO2− and F−, exceeded the standard limits and may cause potential risks to human health. Our work presented in this paper could establish reasonable management strategies for sustainable groundwater quality protection to protect public health.

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