College of Maritime, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, 81157, Taiwan; Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, 81157, Taiwan.
Department of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan.
Environ Pollut. 2021 Sep 15;285:117414. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117414. Epub 2021 May 19.
The human health risks caused by heavy metal contamination (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Ni, and Zn) in the surface water of the Houjing River, the most contaminated river in southern Taiwan, were assessed in this study. Firstly, heavy metal contamination was evaluated by the contamination factors (CF) and the metal indexes (MI). Secondly, the human health risks due to heavy metal contamination were simulated using the Adaptive Risk Assessments Modeling System (ARAMS) through three scenarios; fish ingestion, dermal water contact, and incidental water ingestion during swimming. The hazard quotient (HQ) and the hazard index (HI) were used to evaluate non-carcinogenic risks, while carcinogenic risks were estimated by the lifetime cancer incidence risk index (CR) and the cumulative cancer risk (CCR). The results showed that the synergistic contamination of heavy metals in the surface water was severe (MI = 12.4), with the highest contribution from Cu, Ni, and Pb. Copper had the highest non-carcinogenic risk at the "adverse effect" level, while Ni and Cr had the highest carcinogenic risk at an "unacceptable" level. In addition, the cumulative risks of fish ingestion (HI = 6.75 and CCR = 1.25E-03) were significantly higher than those of the swimming scenarios (HI = 1.94E-03 and CCR = 9.32E-08). The results from this study will be beneficial for immediate and future contamination control measures and human health management plans for this study area. This study has also demonstrated the effectiveness of using ARAMS in human health risk assessment.
本研究评估了台湾南部污染最严重的后劲溪地表水中重金属（砷、镉、铬、铜、汞、铅、镍和锌）对人体健康的危害。首先，通过污染因子（CF）和金属指数（MI）评估重金属污染。其次，通过自适应风险评估模型系统（ARAMS），通过三种情景（鱼类摄入、皮肤接触水和游泳时偶然摄入水）模拟重金属污染对人体健康的危害。危害商（HQ）和危害指数（HI）用于评估非致癌风险，而终生癌症发病率风险指数（CR）和累积癌症风险（CCR）用于估计致癌风险。结果表明，地表水中重金属的协同污染严重（MI=12.4），Cu、Ni 和 Pb 的贡献最大。铜在“不利影响”水平具有最高的非致癌风险，而 Ni 和 Cr 在“不可接受”水平具有最高的致癌风险。此外，鱼类摄入（HI=6.75 和 CCR=1.25E-03）的累积风险明显高于游泳情景（HI=1.94E-03 和 CCR=9.32E-08）。本研究结果将有利于该研究区域当前和未来的污染控制措施和人类健康管理计划。本研究还证明了 ARAMS 在人体健康风险评估中的有效性。
