Hydro-geochemistry and age-dependent health risk assessment of nitrate, nitrite, and fluoride in health facilities water: a multivariate analysis.

Groundwater from alluvial fan plains is the prevailing water source, especially for arid/semiarid regions, but its contamination poses substantial risks to water supply and public health. The recent study aims to assess the hydro-geochemistry, distribution, and potential health risks of NO, NO, and F concentrations in the groundwater of previously unexplored health facilities in District Vehari, Punjab, Pakistan. In total, 75 groundwater samples were evaluated for NO, NO, and F levels as well as pH, EC, TDS, CO, HCO, Cl, Na, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, taste, odor, color, and turbidity. The Durav graph shows that the water type is Na-HCO-Ca, with Na and HCO dominant, weak acids > strong acids, and alkaline ions > alkalis. Results revealed that drinking water samples (21.73% and 20%) taken from Tehsil Mailsi, and the Basic Health Unit (BHU) exceeded the WHO standard (1.5 mg/L) for F concentration, respectively. Moreover, the mean chronic daily intake (CDI) of F was 0.044, 0.018, and 0.02 mg/kg/day in children, men, and women, respectively. Similarly, the average CDI of NO was 0.113, 0.046, and 0.050 in children, men, and women, respectively, and the respective values of NO were 0.004, 0.001, and 0.001. The NO shows a significant range of hazard quotient (HQ) (0.0-1.172) in children. The range of HQ for F was 0.0-3.114, 0.0-1.290, and 0.0-1.389 in children, men, and women, respectively. Additionally, the health risks analysis revealed an HQ > 1.0 for children in groundwater, indicating a potential carcinogenic risk from the F. Pearson correlation and PCA analysis found a significant positive correlation (0.8) between NO and NO and a negative correlation (0.3) between F and HCO. These findings highlight the need for groundwater treatment in healthcare facilities prior to water consumption. Enforcing international and national drinking water standards in healthcare units is vital to strengthening services and providing equitable access to safe drinking water. Legislative and efficient water management measures must be taken for the protection of public health.