Health Risk Assessment of Nitrate in Drinking Water with Potential Source Identification: A Case Study in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Yerbolat Sailaukhanuly (), Seitkhan Azat, Makhabbat Kunarbekova, Adylkhan Tovassarov, Kainaubek Toshtay, Zhandos Tauanov, Lars Carlsen and Ronny Berndtsson ()
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Yerbolat Sailaukhanuly: Laboratory of Engineering Profile, Satbayev University, 22a Satpaev Str., Almaty 050013, Kazakhstan
Seitkhan Azat: Laboratory of Engineering Profile, Satbayev University, 22a Satpaev Str., Almaty 050013, Kazakhstan
Makhabbat Kunarbekova: Laboratory of Engineering Profile, Satbayev University, 22a Satpaev Str., Almaty 050013, Kazakhstan
Adylkhan Tovassarov: Central Asian Institute for Ecological Research, 300/26 Dostyk Ave., Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
Kainaubek Toshtay: Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al-Farabi Ave., Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
Zhandos Tauanov: Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al-Farabi Ave., Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
Lars Carlsen: Awareness Center, Linkøpingvej 35, Trekroner, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Ronny Berndtsson: Division of Water Resources Engineering & Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, P.O. Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Infant mortality in Kazakhstan is six times higher compared with the EU. There are several reasons for this, but a partial reason might be that less than 30% of Kazakhstan’s population has access to safe water and sanitation and more than 57% uses polluted groundwater from wells that do not comply with international standards. For example, nitrate pollution in surface and groundwater continues to increase due to intensified agriculture and the discharge of untreated wastewater, causing concerns regarding environmental and human health. For this reason, drinking water samples were collected from the water supply distribution network in eight districts of Almaty, Kazakhstan, and water quality constituents, including nitrate, were analyzed. In several districts, the nitrate concentration was above the WHO and Kazakhstan’s maximum permissible limits for drinking water. The spatial distribution of high nitrate concentration in drinking water was shown to be strongly correlated with areas that are supplied with groundwater, whereas areas with lower nitrate levels are supplied with surface water sources. Based on source identification, it was shown that groundwater is likely polluted by mainly domestic wastewater. The health risk for infants, children, teenagers, and adults was assessed based on chronic daily intake, and the hazard quotient (HQ) of nitrate intake from drinking water was determined. The non-carcinogenic risks increased in the following manner: adult < teenager < child < infant. For infants and children, the HQ was greater than the acceptable level and higher than that of other age groups, thus pointing to infants and children as the most vulnerable age group due to drinking water intake in the study area. Different water management options are suggested to improve the health situation of the population now drinking nitrate-polluted groundwater.

Keywords: drinking water; groundwater; nitrate pollution; health risk; infant health; SDGs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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