Centre for Climate Change Research, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, 411008, Maharashtra, India.
Department of Geology, National College, Trichy, 620001, Tamil Nadu, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2024 Sep 2;196(10):880. doi: 10.1007/s10661-024-12985-5.
Good quality water for human consumption, irrigation, and industrial use is very important. Today, around the world, water is contaminated by natural processes and human activities. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation, identify the source of fluoride and nitrate contamination, and assess the human health risks around the Cauvery River basin in southern India. A total of 30 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for hydrochemical parameters, including EC, TDS, pH, Ca, Mg, Na, K, HCO, Cl, SO, NO, and F. The majority of groundwater samples in the study area are used for drinking and irrigation. The pH of groundwater in the study area was observed to be dominantly alkaline. The levels of TDS, Ca, Na, K, F, and TH exceeded the permissible limits recommended by BIS and WHO. Fluoride and nitrate levels in groundwater exceeded the permissible limits for drinking purposes in 43% and 50% of the samples, respectively. The excessive concentration of fluoride and nitrate in groundwater could pose serious human health problems. Fluoride and nitrate concentrations in groundwater vary between 0.1 and 2 mg/l and 12 and 95 mg/l, respectively. Based on the computation of the drinking water quality index, about 73% of groundwater samples were classified as excellent to good. Health risk was assessed for infants, children, and adults using non-carcinogenic risk indices such as hazard quotients (HQ), hazard indexes (HI), total hazard indices (THI), and carcinogenic risk indices (CR). Infants, children, and adults have different total hazards indexes ranging from 1.508 to 5.733, 1.579 to 6.003, and 0.011 to 0.046, respectively. Health risk assessment results indicated that the hazard index and hazard quotient were above the recommended limit of > 1 in most of the samples for infants and children. Non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risks were more likely to affect infants and children rather than adults through ingestion of contaminated water.
优质的饮用水、灌溉水和工业用水非常重要。如今，在全球范围内，水受到自然过程和人类活动的污染。本研究旨在评估印度南部考维里河流域地下水的饮用和灌溉适宜性，确定氟化物和硝酸盐污染的来源，并评估其对人类健康的风险。共采集了 30 个地下水样本，并对其进行了包括电导率（EC）、总溶解固体（TDS）、pH 值、Ca、Mg、Na、K、HCO、Cl、SO、NO 和 F 在内的水化学参数分析。研究区的大部分地下水都用于饮用和灌溉。研究区地下水的 pH 值主要呈碱性。TDS、Ca、Na、K、F 和总硬度（TH）的含量超过 BIS 和世界卫生组织（WHO）推荐的允许限值。地下水氟化物和硝酸盐含量分别有 43%和 50%的样本超过饮用水允许限值。地下水氟化物和硝酸盐浓度过高可能会对人类健康造成严重问题。地下水氟化物和硝酸盐浓度分别在 0.1 至 2mg/L 和 12 至 95mg/L 之间变化。根据饮用水质量指数的计算，约有 73%的地下水样本被归类为优秀至良好。利用非致癌风险指数，如危害系数（HQ）、危害指数（HI）、总危害指数（THI）和致癌风险指数（CR），对婴儿、儿童和成人进行了健康风险评估。婴儿、儿童和成人的总危害指数分别为 1.508 至 5.733、1.579 至 6.003 和 0.011 至 0.046。健康风险评估结果表明，在大多数婴儿和儿童样本中，危害指数和危害系数都超过了推荐限值（>1）。通过摄入受污染的水，非致癌风险和致癌风险更有可能影响婴儿和儿童，而不是成年人。
