Spatial distribution and potential health risk of fluoride in drinking groundwater sources of Huaibei, Anhui Province

Fluoride enrichment in drinking groundwater at Huaibei leads to potential health risk to the residents. A total of 49 groundwater samples from groundwater sources were collected to evaluate the potential health risk of fluoride ingestion through drinking water for children and adults in Huaibei. Results shown that the average concentration of fluoride in centralized sources is less than that of decentralized sources, which may be attributed to different geological conditions including fluoride-rich minerals, environmental conditions and high fluoride waste discharge. The corresponding health risk value of fluoride in centralized source is lower than that in decentralized one, and the HI values of fluoride in the three exposed groups varied in the same order: infants > children > adults. Infants and children were more sensitive receptors to the non-carcinogenic health hazards of fluoride than adults. Special care should be taken to infants and children for the highly prone to health risk compared to adults.

Groundwater fluoride contamination in Coimbatore district: a geochemical characterization, multivariate analysis, and human health risk perspective

In this paper, fluoride geochemistry and health risk of groundwater in Coimbatore district is studied. The order of dominance of ions were HCO3 > Cl > SO4 > CO3 and Na > Ca > Mg > K. Alkaline groundwater and the dominance of HCO3 and Na is favourable for the fluoride enrichment. Around 46% of the samples, N–NE regions, have F− higher than permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. Pink granites, charnockite and gneisses in lithology is the possible origin of F−. However, NO3 vs F plot shows positive trend in some samples, indicating anthropogenic inputs of F−. Correlation plots of F− was trending positive with pH, HCO3 and Na and but negative for Ca, indicating the control of these ions in F− mobility. This result is supported by undersaturation of fluorite and supersaturation of carbonates. Four significant principal components were derived, which have explained 87% of the total variation. PC1 has high factor loadings for EC, Ca, Mg Na, Cl, SO4, NO3 indicating both natural and anthropogenic influences. PC2, PC3 and PC4 have higher loading for pH and HCO3, K and HCO3 and F−, respectively, indicating geogenic factors in the F− enrichment. Human health risk assessment (HHRA) by ingestion and dermal pathways were calculated using Hazard Quotient HQ and Hazard Index (HI). 27% of males, 36% of females and 39% of the children have HI > 1, posing noncarcinogenic risks.