Departamento Química Analítica, Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral, Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, Chaco, Argentina.
J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2012;75(22-23):1437-50. doi: 10.1080/15287394.2012.721178.
The arsenic (As) and fluoride (F⁻) concentration in groundwater and potential adverse human health risk was investigated in the Central-West Region of the Chaco Province, northern Argentina. The mean concentration of As in shallow groundwater was 95 μg/L, where 76% of samples exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value of 10 μg/L, while in deep groundwater it was 90 μg/L, where 63% samples exceeded 10 μg/L. For As health risk assessment, the average daily dose, hazard quotient (HQ), and cancer risk were calculated. The values of HQ were found to be >1 in 77% of samples. This level of contamination is considered to constitute a high chronic risk compared with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. Further, a significant portion of the population has lifetime carcinogenic risk >10⁻⁴ and may suffer from cancer. A positive correlation was observed between As and F⁻ in groundwater. The Código Alimentario Argentino (CAA) suggested a limit of F⁻ in drinking water as low as 0.8 mg/L under tropical environmental conditions; however, in shallow (39%) and deep groundwater (32%), samples exceeded these values. Exposure to F⁻ was calculated and compared with the adequate intake of minimal safe level exposure dose of 0.05 mg/kg/d and it was noted that 42% of population may be at high risk of fluorosis. Chronic exposure to high As and F⁻ levels in this population represents a concern due to possible adverse health effects attributed to these elements.
本研究调查了阿根廷北部查科省中西部地区地下水中的砷（As）和氟（F⁻）浓度，以及其对人体健康的潜在不良影响。浅层地下水中的砷平均浓度为 95μg/L，其中 76%的样本超过了世界卫生组织（WHO）规定的 10μg/L 指导值，而深层地下水中的砷平均浓度为 90μg/L，其中 63%的样本超过了 10μg/L。为了评估砷的健康风险，我们计算了平均日剂量、危害系数（HQ）和癌症风险。结果发现，77%的样本 HQ 值大于 1。与美国环境保护署（EPA）的指导方针相比，这一污染水平被认为是高慢性风险。此外，相当一部分人群终生患癌风险超过 10⁻⁴，可能会患上癌症。地下水中的砷与氟呈正相关。阿根廷食品法典（Código Alimentario Argentino，CAA）建议在热带环境条件下，饮用水中氟的含量应低至 0.8mg/L；然而，浅层（39%）和深层地下水（32%）中的样本均超过了这一数值。我们还计算了氟暴露量，并将其与最小安全水平暴露剂量 0.05mg/kg/d 的适宜摄入量进行了比较，结果发现，42%的人群可能存在氟中毒的高风险。由于这些元素可能会对人体健康产生不良影响，因此该人群长期接触高浓度的砷和氟是令人担忧的。
