A Comparative Study of Water Quality and Human Health Risk Assessment in Longevity Area and Adjacent Non-Longevity Area

Jiawen Yu, Jinlong Zhou, Aihua Long, Xinlin He, Xiaoya Deng and Yunfei Chen
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Jiawen Yu: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Jinlong Zhou: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Aihua Long: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Xinlin He: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Xiaoya Deng: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, Department of Water Resources, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Yunfei Chen: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: A longevity area in Xinjiang, China and an adjacent non-longevity area both have similar climatic and hydrogeological conditions, and the residents of the two control groups have similar ethnic composition, diets and lifestyles. This study investigated if differences in groundwater quality between the longevity area and the non-longevity area are associated with the health of residents in the two control groups. In order to quantitatively describe the groundwater quality of the two control groups and its influence on human health, the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method (FCEM) was used to compare and assess the overall water environment of the two control groups. Furthermore, the human health risk of groundwater for the two control groups was assessed using the Health Risk Assessment Model recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Results showed that the overall water environment categories for the longevity area and non-longevity area are moderate quality (grade III) and very poor quality (grade V), respectively. The main health risk in the longevity area water environment is the non-carcinogenic risk ( HQ LLV ) caused by Cl − . The main health risks in the non-longevity area water environment are the non-carcinogenic risk ( HQ CA ) caused by Cl − and the carcinogenic risk ( Risk CA ) caused by As. The total health risk ( HR all ) caused by over-standard inorganic pollutants in the water environment of the non-longevity area is 3.49 times higher than that of the longevity area. In addition, the study showed that the water environment pollution downstream of the Keriya River is conjunctively caused by agricultural activities and domestic sewage. The overall water environment of the longevity area is more conducive to the health-longevity of residents than the non-longevity area.

Keywords: longevity area; water quality; groundwater quality; water environment; health risk; Xinjiang (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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