National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania.
National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Front Public Health. 2024 Sep 23;12:1456640. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1456640. eCollection 2024.
Increasing lithium (Li) demand worldwide due to its properties and role in renewable energy will raise water reservoir pollution and side effects on human health. Divergent results regarding Li concentration in water and affective disorders are found in the literature, which is why regional reports are expected.
The present study evaluated the occurrence and human health risks resulting from oral exposure, respectively, and the relationship between alkali metals (Li, Na, and K) and minerals (Mg, Ca) in balanced purified water (bottled) and spring water.
The ICP-MS technique was used to measure a national database with 53 bottled and 42 spring water samples randomly selected. One-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and HCA analysis were applied to assess the possible relationship between metals in water. The possible side effects of Li poisoning of water resources on human health have been evaluated using the Estimated Daily Intake Index (EDI) and Total Hazard Quotient (THQ).
The toxic metals (As, Hg, and Pb) were measured, and the results indicate values above the detection limit of 22.3% of samples in the case of lead but not exceeding the safety limits. Depending on the water sources, such as bottled and spring water, the Li concentration varied between 0.06-1,557 and 0.09-984% μg/L. We found a strong positive correlation between Li and Na and Mg, varying between bottled and spring waters (% <%0.001). Li exceeded the limit set by the Health-Based Screening Level (HBSL) in 41.37 and 19% of bottled and spring water samples. The oral reference doses (p-RDs) for the noncancer assessment of daily oral exposure effects for a human lifetime exceeded threshold values. The THQ index shows potential adverse health effects, requiring further investigations and remedial actions in 27.58% of approved bottled waters and 2.38% of spring waters.
We can conclude that water is safe based on the Li concentration found in drinking water and supported by a gap in strict regulations regarding human Li ingestion. The present study can serve decision-makers and represent a starting database with metals of interest for further clinical studies. Decision-makers can also use it to find solutions for sustainable management of clean and safe drinking water.
由于锂在可再生能源中的特性和作用，全球对锂的需求不断增加，这将导致水库污染和对人类健康的副作用。文献中关于水中锂浓度和情感障碍的结果存在差异，因此需要区域性报告。
本研究评估了口服暴露分别产生的锂浓度及其对人类健康的风险，以及平衡净化水（瓶装）和泉水碱金属（Li、Na 和 K）和矿物质（Mg、Ca）之间的关系。
采用 ICP-MS 技术对随机抽取的 53 个瓶装和 42 个泉水样本的国家数据库进行测量。采用单因素方差分析、皮尔逊相关和 HCA 分析评估水中金属之间的可能关系。采用估计每日摄入量指数（EDI）和总危害系数（THQ）评估水资源中锂中毒对人类健康的可能副作用。
测量了有毒金属（As、Hg 和 Pb），结果表明，22.3%的样本中铅的含量超过检测限，但未超过安全限值。根据水源的不同，如瓶装水和泉水，Li 的浓度在 0.06-1.557 和 0.09-984%μg/L 之间变化。我们发现 Li 与 Na 和 Mg 之间存在很强的正相关关系，在瓶装水和泉水之间变化（%<%0.001）。在 41.37%和 19%的瓶装水和泉水样本中，Li 超过了健康基准筛选水平（HBSL）设定的限值。对于人类终生每日口服暴露效应的非癌症评估，口服参考剂量（p-RD）超过了阈值。THQ 指数显示出潜在的不良健康影响，需要对 27.58%的批准瓶装水和 2.38%的泉水进行进一步调查和补救措施。
根据饮用水中发现的 Li 浓度并结合严格的人类 Li 摄入规定的差距，我们可以得出水是安全的结论。本研究可以为决策者提供服务，并为进一步的临床研究提供有兴趣的金属的起始数据库。决策者还可以使用它来寻找可持续管理清洁和安全饮用水的解决方案。
