scholarly journals Quality and Health Risk Assessment Associated with Water Consumption—A Case Study on Karstic Springs

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3510
Author(s):  
Ana Moldovan ◽  
Maria-Alexandra Hoaghia ◽  
Eniko Kovacs ◽  
Ionuț Cornel Mirea ◽  
Marius Kenesz ◽  
...  

In rural areas without centralized water supply systems, inhabitants often use groundwater of unknown quality as drinking water, without understanding the possible negative consequences on their health. Karstic spring waters from Dobrogea region in Romania were assessed for their potential to be used as drinking water source, according to their quality and seasonal variation. The physico-chemical parameters of waters were compared with the guideline values for drinking water established by the World Health Organization and the Directive 98/83/EC. The nitrate and Cr concentrations exceeded the guideline value in the springs from Southern Dobrogea, but met the quality criteria in those from Northern Dobrogea, thus, to be used as drinking water, the karstic springs located in Southern Dobrogea require treatment for nitrates removal. Heavy metals pollution indices showed low to medium cumulative heavy metal pollution in all springs, while the human health risk assessment by oral exposure indicated possible noncarcinogenic risks of nitrates, both for adults and children in springs from South Dobrogea. A rigorous monitoring of the water quality before human consumption is recommended for all four studied water sources.

Author(s):  
Reza Aghlmand ◽  
Saeed Rasi Nezami ◽  
Ali Abbasi

In recent years, in addition to water resources’ quantity, their quality has also received much attention. In this study, the quality of the urban water distribution network in northwestern Iran was evaluated using the water quality index (WQI) method. Then, some important trace elements were investigated, and finally, the health risk assessment was evaluated for both carcinogenic elements (Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, and As) and non-carcinogenic elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, F, NO3, and Cu) using carcinogenic risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. In the present study, the WQI was calculated based on both World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian drinking water standards. Comparing the results of these standards revealed that the WQI based on the Iranian standard was slightly higher. Regarding the calculated WQI for the study region, the status of water quality for drinking consumption is in the good water quality class (25 < WQI < 50). It was observed that Cu and Cd have the highest and lowest concentrations in all sampling points, respectively. Hazard Index (HI) results showed that the non-carcinogenic substances studied had a low risk for both adults and children (<1.0). However, the CR results showed that Ni, Cd, and As were above the desired level for both children and adults. The results of this study can be applied for efficient water management and human health protection programs in the study area.


Background: In the Azna-Aligudarz plain, the drinking water is mainly supplied from groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the concentration of nitrate and nitrite and determine the groundwater vulnerability potential and related risks in the plain to guarantee the health of consumers. Materials and Methods: The vulnerability potential of the studied plain to pollutants was investigated by the drastic method. To estimate the concentration of nitrate and nitrite, 25 water wells in the study area were sampled within 2018-2019 and analyzed by standard method. Human health risk related to groundwater in the study area was assessed using the USEPA (the United States Environmental Protection Agency) index. Results: The results of the DRASTIC method demonstrated that 45% and 65% of the region has a high (southern part of the plain) and a medium vulnerability potential (northern part of the plain), respectively. According to the obtained results, nitrate in Chaqataram and Ashrafabad villages with 56 and 65 mg/liter, respectively, and nitrite in groundwater of Chamzaman, Aliabad, and Darreh Bagh villages with 3.5, 3.3, and 3.4 mg/liter, was higher than the standard of World Health Organization. According to the health risk assessment results, 83%, 8%, and 4% of children, women, and men are prone to health threats due to nitrate concentration (HQ>1). The accuracy of the vulnerability results was confirmed by calibrating the results of the health risk assessment and the results of the nitrate map. Conclusion: As e evidenced by the obtained results, improper use of nitrate chemical fertilizers and unsafe disposal of human wastewater (urban and rural) is the main cause of increased nitrate and nitrite concentrations in agricultural lands. Based on the results of the present study, the use of contaminated drinking wells is not recommended and continuous monitoring of drinking wells in the study area is essential to protect the health of consumers, especially children.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document