scholarly journals Identification of Groundwater Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of a Landfill in a Low Permeability Area

Author(s):  
Fei Wang ◽  
Kai Song ◽  
Xuelian He ◽  
Yue Peng ◽  
Dan Liu ◽  
...  

The shallow weathering fissure groundwater in the red-bed area of Southwest China is usually the only drinking water source for most rural residents. In this study, a typical landfill with surrounding residents drinking unpurified groundwater in red-bed area was selected and water quality detection, groundwater numerical simulation and human health risk assessment were used to identify and assess groundwater pollution in the region. The chemical type evolved from HCO3-SO4-Ca-Mg and HCO3-SO4-Ca to Na-Ca-Cl-HCO3 contaminated by the landfill. Na+ and Cl− were selected as factors for rapid identification of groundwater pollution. Subsequent analyses using these factors showed that the leachate pollution plume boundary was 190 m downstream of the landfill. Analysis of the redox conditions revealed that the area from the landfill to 5 m downstream was the reduction zone, while the area beyond 5 m was the oxidation zone. The migration and attenuation patterns of inorganic salts (such as SO42−) and heavy metals (such as Fe and Mn) in the oxidation and reduction zones differed obviously. Meanwhile, the organic pollutants in the leachate were reduced and decomposed into organic acids, which caused the groundwater 80 m downstream of the landfill to become weakly acidic (pH ranged from 6.51 to 6.83), and promoted re-entry of adsorbed heavy metals (such as Pb) into the groundwater. The groundwater risk assessment based on human health revealed that lead, manganese, chlorobenzene, dichloroethane and chloroform constituted a major health threat to the residents. The rank of non-carcinogenic risk was lead >manganese, and the maximum area of non-carcinogenic risk was 15,485 m2. The total carcinogenic risk caused by organic pollutants was 7.9 × 10−6, and the area of the carcinogenic risk zone was 11,414 m2. Overall, the results of this study provide a scientific basis for management of drinking water and groundwater remediation in the red-bed area with low permeability.

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chan-Chan Xiao ◽  
Mao-Jian Chen ◽  
Fan-Biao Mei ◽  
Xiang Fang ◽  
Tian-Ren Huang ◽  
...  

The Yongjiang river is a large, shallow, hyper-trophic, freshwater river in Guangxi, China. To investigate the presence of microcystin-RR, microcystin-LR, and microcystin-YR (MC-RR, MC-LR, and MC-YR) in the Yongjiang river and describe their correlation with environmental factors, as well as, assess health risk using Monte Carlo simulation, 90 water samples were collected at three sample points from March to December 2017. Results showed that during the monitoring period, total concentrations of MC-RR (TMC-RR), MC-YR (TMC-YR), and MC-LR (TMC-LR) varied from 0.0224 to 0.3783 μg/L, 0.0329 to 0.1433 μg/L, and 0.0341 to 0.2663 μg/L, respectively. Total phosphorus (TP) content appeared to be related to TMC-LR and the total concentrations of microcystins (TMCs), while pH and total nitrogen (TN)/TP ratio appeared to be related to TMC-RR and TMC-YR, respectively. Using the professional health risk assessment software @Risk7.5, the risks of dietary intake of microcystins (MCs), including the carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk, were evaluated. It was found that the carcinogenic risk of MC-RR from drinking water was higher than MC-LR and MC-YR, and the presence of MCs would lead to high potential health risks, especially in children. The carcinogenic risk of MC-RR to children was >1 × 10−4, the maximum allowance level recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency; as for adults, it was >5 × 10−5, the maximum allowance level recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) of MC-RR, MC-YR, and MC-LR increased successively, indicating that MC-LR was more hazardous to human health than MC-YR and MC-RR, but its HI was <1. This suggests that MCs pose less risk to health. However, it is necessary to strengthen the protection and monitoring of drinking water source for effective control of water pollution and safeguarding of human health.


Author(s):  
I. B. Bwatanglang ◽  
P. Alexander ◽  
N. A. Timothy

In this study, the health risk caused by heavy metals exposure to communities along Mubi-Yola highways was evaluated. Samples from Mubi, Hong, Gombi, Song, and Gerei were collected and analyzed for Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Zinc (Zn), Cupper (Cu), and Nickel (Ni) using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The mean concentrations of the metals used for the risk assessment were observed to fall in this order Zn>Pb>Ni>Cu>Cd>Cr. The non-carcinogenic risk based on the target hazard quotient (THQ) and human health index (HI) values for each exposure pathway and for each metal were observed to be less than (<) 1 which means, exposure to the heavy metals has no immediate risks for both the adults and children in the settlements. The lifetime cancer risk (CRI) for the metals for both the ingestion (CRIIng) and inhalation (CRIInh) exposure pathways were observed to pose no lifetime carcinogenic risk. The CRI for all the exposure pathways and for all age categories were <10-4. Similarly, the combine effect or total cancer risk (TCRI) for each exposure pathway show high probability for carcinogenic risk by ingestion route compared to exposure by inhalation. The order of exposure were observed to be adults<children. Though the CRI and TCRI results were observed to be within the acceptable range for developing cancer, the result  however suggest that children could be more susceptible to potential carcinogenic risk following continual exposure to heavy metals from vehicular activity. Indicating some concern about the expansion of unregulated settlements along heavy traffic highways.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Miao ◽  
Yimei Zhang ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Qinglu Fang ◽  
Yinzhuang Zhou

Abstract Soil heavy metal contaminated sites with multiple sources of pollution have caused worldwide public concern. However, the lack of correlation of risk assessment between source identification of heavy metal led to unclear direction of source governance. A methodology was established by combining source apportionment of human health risks with ecological enrichment to characterize source-identified risks of heavy metals based on Ordinary kriging interplotation. Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) model were used to identify and classify potential sources of heavy metals synthetically. The integrated results were incorporated into the health risk model to evaluate potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk of soil heavy metals. A case study was conducted in Suzhou city of China. The results showed that concentrations of Cd and Hg were highly above the background values, accounting for percentages of 239.6% and 415.9% above background values, respectively. The source contributed human health risk index of As contributed 76.9% to non-carcinogenic risk by pollutant sources of agriculture activities. The Non-cancer health risk index for children and adults was 1.08 and 1.00 respectively. The cancer health risk was 3.67E-03 for children and 3.97E-04 for adults. Cr originated from indutriy activities, accounting for 29.5% of total heavy metals, and constituted the largest carcinogenic impact on the population. This study provided a new insight for the treatment of mutil-sources of soil heavy metal pollution and also some reference value for the improvement of the risk assessment system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Wang ◽  
Jichang Han ◽  
Yang Wei ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Yingying Sun

Xunyang is rich in various metal minerals and is one of the four major metal mining areas in Shaanxi province, China. To explore the effects of soil heavy metals and metalloid pollution on the environment and human health around the mining areas, four places—Donghecun (D), Gongguan (G), Qingtonggou (Q) and Nanshagou (N)—were selected as the sampling sites. Potential ecological risk (PER) and health risk assessment (HRA) models were used to analyze the environmental and health risks around the mining areas. The concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, Hg) and metalloid (As) in cultivated land in the vicinity of Xunyang mining areas indicated that, except for Cu, the remaining elements detected exceeded the threshold values at some sites. The geo-accumulation index (IGeo) revealed that soils in G and Q could be identified as being extremely contaminated. PER indicated that there was significantly high risk at G and Q for Hg. In N, Pb recorded the highest E r i , which also demonstrates a considerable pre-existing risk. HRA indicated that the hazard index (HI) for both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks was much higher among children than among adults, and the ingestion pathway contributed the greatest risk to human health, followed by the dermal pathway and inhalation. Because the HI values of the metals and metalloid in the study areas were all lower than 1, there was no significant non-carcinogenic risk. However, the carcinogenic risk for Cr is relatively higher, surpassing the tolerable values in G, Q, and N. This study analyzed the ecological risks and human health risks of heavy metals and metalloid in farmland soils near the sampling mining areas, and demonstrated the importance of environmental changes caused by land development in the mining industry.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1976-1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emrah Caylak

Lifetime exposure to trace metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), trihalomethanes (THMs), and the other chemicals in drinking water through ingestion, and dermal contact may pose risks to human health. In this study, drinking water samples were collected from 50 sampling sites from Cankiri and its towns during 2010. The concentrations of all pollutants were analyzed, and then compared with permissible limits set by Turkish and WHO. For health risk assessment of trace metals, chronic daily intakes (CDIs) via ingestion and dermal contact, hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) were calculated by using statistical formulas. For ingestion pathway, the maximum HQ values of As-non cancer in central Cankiri and Kursunlu town were higher than one. Considering dermal adsorption pathway, the mean and maximum HQ values were below one. HI values of As-non cancer in central Cankiri and Kursunlu town were also higher than one. Each trace metal (As-non cancer, B, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Sb) of the mean HI values were slightly below unity. Risks of As, PAHs, THMs, and benzene on human health were then evaluated using carcinogenic risk (CR). It is indicated that CRs of As and THMs were also found >10−5in drinking water of Cankiri might exert potential carcinogenic risk for people. These assessments would point out required drinking water treatment strategy to ensure safety of consumers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmontaser M. Seleem ◽  
Alaa Mostafa ◽  
Mohammed Mokhtar ◽  
Salman A. Salman

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 100416
Author(s):  
A.S. Shafiuddin Ahmed ◽  
Mohammad Belal Hossain ◽  
S.M. Omar Faruque Babu ◽  
Md. Moshiur Rahman ◽  
Md. Shafiqul Islam Sarker

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tee L. Guidotti

On 16 October 1996, a malfunction at the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Center (SHSWTC) in Alberta, Canada, released an undetermined quantity of persistent organic pollutants to the atmosphere. An ecologically based, staged health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the human health risk, the findings of which are presented in Part 2, on Ecotoxicology and Human Health Risk. The incident resulted in the largest fine for an environmental infraction in Alberta history up to that time. Despite the incident, the province of Alberta has continued to subsidize the facility and has kept it in operation, with changes in management. The policy rationale is that if the facility were not available, accumulation and possible diversion of hazardous waste into illegal disposal alternatives would threaten the environment much more than operation of the plant. This case study illustrates an ecological approach to risk assessment and an attempted culturally sensitive approach to risk management. Incidents in which people are exposed to toxic substances do not occur in a social vacuum. Risk management strategies must be adapted to groups with different cultural values and expectations. Community and individual responses to such incidents, and the development of health advisory messages, may depend on presenting information on exposure and risk in terms consistent with cultural patterns among subpopulations in the community.


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