Evolution Mechanism of Arsenic Enrichment in Groundwater and Associated Health Risks in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Muhammad Yousuf Jat Baloch, Wenjing Zhang, Dayi Zhang, Baig Abdullah Al Shoumik, Javed Iqbal, Shuxin Li, Juanfen Chai, Muhammad Ansar Farooq and Anand Parkash
Additional contact information
Muhammad Yousuf Jat Baloch: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Wenjing Zhang: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Dayi Zhang: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Baig Abdullah Al Shoumik: Soil, Water and Environment Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh
Javed Iqbal: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Shuxin Li: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Juanfen Chai: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Muhammad Ansar Farooq: Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Anand Parkash: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Chang’an West Street 620, Xi’an 710119, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater is a worldwide concern for drinking water safety. Environmental changes and anthropogenic activities are making groundwater vulnerable in Pakistan, especially in Southern Punjab. This study explores the distribution, hydrogeochemical behavior, and pathways of As enrichment in groundwater and discusses the corresponding evolution mechanism, mobilization capability, and health risks. In total, 510 groundwater samples were collected from three tehsils in the Punjab province of Pakistan to analyze As and other physiochemical parameters. Arsenic concentration averaged 14.0 μg/L in Vehari, 11.0 μg/L in Burewala, and 13.0 μg/L in Mailsi. Piper-plots indicated the dominance of Na + , SO 4 2− , Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+ ions in the groundwater and the geochemical modeling showed negative saturation indices with calcium carbonate and salt minerals, including aragonite (CaCO 3 ), calcite (CaCO 3 ), dolomite (CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 ), and halite (NaCl). The dissolution process hinted at their potential roles in As mobilization in groundwater. These results were further validated with an inverse model of the dissolution of calcium-bearing mineral, and the exchange of cations between Ca 2+ and Na + in the studied area. Risk assessment suggested potential carcinogenic risks (CR > 10 −4 ) for both children and adults, whereas children had a significant non-carcinogenic risk hazard quotient (HQ > 1). Accordingly, children had higher overall health risks than adults. Groundwater in Vehari and Mailsi was at higher risk than in Burewala. Our findings provide important and baseline information for groundwater As assessment at a provincial level, which is essential for initiating As health risk reduction. The current study also recommends efficient management strategies for As-contaminated groundwater.

Keywords: arsenic contamination; hydrogeochemistry; geochemical modelling; inverse modelling; health risk assessment (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 (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13325/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13325/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13325-:d:943482

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().