Geochemical Modeling Source Provenance, Public Health Exposure, and Evaluating Potentially Harmful Elements in Groundwater: Statistical and Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA)

Abdur Rashid, Muhammad Ayub, Zahid Ullah, Asmat Ali, Seema Anjum Khattak, Liaqat Ali, Xubo Gao, Chengcheng Li, Sardar Khan, Hamed A. El-Serehy and Prashant Kaushik
Additional contact information
Abdur Rashid: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Muhammad Ayub: Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra 21300, Pakistan
Zahid Ullah: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Asmat Ali: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Seema Anjum Khattak: National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25130, Pakistan
Liaqat Ali: National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25130, Pakistan
Xubo Gao: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Chengcheng Li: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Sardar Khan: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan
Hamed A. El-Serehy: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Prashant Kaushik: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-28

Abstract: Groundwater contamination by potentially harmful elements (PHEs) originating from the weathering of granitic and gneissic rock dissolution poses a public health concern worldwide. This study investigated physicochemical variables and PHEs in the groundwater system and mine water of the Adenzai flood plain region, in Pakistan, emphasizing the fate distribution, source provenance, chemical speciation, and health hazard using the human health risk assessment HHRA-model. The average concentrations of the PHEs, viz., Ni, Mn, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, Co, Fe, and Zn 0.23, were 0.27, 0.07, 0.30, 0.07, 0.06, 0.08, 0.68, and 0.23 mg/L, respectively. The average values of chemical species in the groundwater system, viz., H + , OH − , Ni 2+ , Mn 2+ , Mn 3+ , Cr 3+ , Cr 6+ , Cu + , Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ , Pb 4+ , Co 2+ , Co 3+ , Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , and Zn 2+ , were 1.0 × 10 −4 ± 1.0 × 10 −6 , 1.0 × 10 −4 ± 9.0 × 10 −7 , 2.0 × 10 −1 ± 1.0 × 10 −3 , 3.0 × 10 −1 ± 1.0 × 10 −3 , 1.0 × 10 −22 ± 1.0 × 10 −23 , 4.0 × 10 −6 ± 2.0 × 10 −6 , 4.0 × 10 −11 ± 2.0 × 10 −11 , 9.0 × 10 −3 ± 1.0 × 10 −2 , 2.0 × 10 −1 ± 2.0 × 10 −3 , 7.0 × 10 −2 ± 6.0 × 10 −2 , 5.0 × 10 −2 ± 5.0 × 10 −2 , 2.0 × 10 −2 ± 1.5 × 10 −2 , 6.0 × 10 −2 ± 4.0 × 10 −2 , 8.0 × 10 −31 ± 6.0 × 10 −31 , 3.0 × 10 −1 ± 2.0 × 10 −4 , 4.0 × 10 −10 ± 3.0 × 10 −10 , and 2.0 × 10 −1 ± 1.0 × 10 −1 . The mineral compositions of PHEs, viz. Ni, were bunsenite, Ni(OH) 2 , and trevorite; Mn viz., birnessite, bixbyite, hausmannite, manganite, manganosite, pyrolusite, and todorokite; Cr viz., chromite and eskolaite; Cu viz., CuCr 2 O 4 , cuprite, delafossite, ferrite-Cu, and tenorite; Cd viz., monteponite; Pb viz, crocoite, litharge, massicot, minium, plattnerite, Co viz., spinel-Co; Fe viz., goethite, hematite, magnetite, wustite, and ferrite-Zn; and Zn viz., zincite, and ZnCr 2 O 4 demarcated undersaturation and supersaturation. However, EC, Ca 2+ , K + , Na + , HCO 3 − , Cr, Cd, Pb, Co, and Fe had exceeded the WHO guideline. The Nemerow’s pollution index (NPI) showed that EC, Ca 2+ , K + , Na + , HCO 3 − , Mn, Cd, Pb, Co, and Fe had worse water quality. Principal component analysis multilinear regression (PCAMLR) and cluster analysis (CA) revealed that 75% of the groundwater contamination originated from geogenic inputs and 18% mixed geogenic-anthropogenic and 7% anthropogenic sources. The HHRA-model suggested potential non-carcinogenic risks, except for Fe, and substantial carcinogenic risks for evaluated PHEs. The women and infants are extremely exposed to PHEs hazards. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks in children, males, and females had exceeded their desired level. The HHRA values of PHEs exhibited the following increasing pattern: Co > Cu > Mn > Zn > Fe, and Cd > Pb > Ni > Cr. The higher THI values of PHEs in children and adults suggested that the groundwater consumption in the entire region is unfit for drinking, domestic, and agricultural purposes. Thus, all groundwater sources need immediate remedial measures to secure health safety and public health concerns.

Keywords: groundwater contamination; carcinogenic/noncarcinogenic risk; spatial distribution; geochemical speciation; mineral phases (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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