Department of Environmental Science, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati, Assam, 781035, India.
Discipline of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Room No. 336A, Block 5, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382355, India.
Environ Geochem Health. 2020 Feb;42(2):443-460. doi: 10.1007/s10653-019-00373-9. Epub 2019 Jul 19.
Island populations are rarely studied for risk of arsenic (As) poisoning. As poisoning, multimetal contamination and people's perceptions of health risks were assessed on India's Majuli Island, the largest inhabited river island in the world. This holistic approach illustrated the association of groundwater contamination status with consequent health risk by measuring levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in groundwater, borehole sediment and biological samples (hair, nails and urine). Piper and Gibbs's plots discerned the underlying hydrogeochemical processes in the aquifer. Demographic data and qualitative factors were evaluated to assess the risks and uncertainties of exposure. The results exhibited significant enrichment of groundwater with As, Mn and Fe along with significant body burden. Maximum Hazard Index values indicated severe non-carcinogenic health impacts as well as a significantly elevated risk of cancer for both adults and children. Most (99%) of the locally affected population did not know about the adverse health impacts of metal contamination, and only 15% understood bodily ailments and health issues. Various aspects of the island environment were used to elucidate the status of contamination and future risk of disease. A projection showed adverse health outcomes rising significantly, especially among the young population of Majuli, due to overexposure to not only As but also Ba, Mn and Fe.
岛屿人群很少被研究砷（As）中毒的风险。在印度的玛朱利岛（世界上最大的有人居住的河流岛屿）评估了砷中毒、多金属污染以及人们对健康风险的认知。这种整体方法通过测量地下水、钻孔沉积物和生物样本（头发、指甲和尿液）中的无机砷（iAs）水平，说明了地下水污染状况与随之而来的健康风险之间的关联。派珀和吉布斯的图区分了含水层中潜在的水文地球化学过程。评估了人口数据和定性因素，以评估暴露的风险和不确定性。结果显示，地下水、锰和铁的含量显著富集，同时体内负荷也显著增加。最大危害指数值表明，成人和儿童都存在严重的非致癌健康影响以及癌症风险显著升高。当地受影响人口中，大多数（99%）不知道金属污染对健康的不良影响，只有 15%的人了解身体不适和健康问题。岛上环境的各个方面都被用来阐明污染状况和未来疾病的风险。预测显示，由于过度暴露于砷、钡、锰和铁等物质，玛朱利岛的年轻人，尤其是年轻人，健康结果将显著恶化。
