Health Risk and Water Quality Assessment of Surface Water in an Urban River of Bangladesh

Md. Foysal Hasan, Md. Nur-E-Alam, Mohammed Abdus Salam, Hafizur Rahman, Shujit Chandra Paul, Aweng Eh Rak, Balram Ambade and Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam
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Md. Foysal Hasan: Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
Md. Nur-E-Alam: Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
Mohammed Abdus Salam: Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
Hafizur Rahman: Department of Environmental Science and Management, School of Environment and Life Sciences, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
Shujit Chandra Paul: Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Sonapur 3814, Bangladesh
Aweng Eh Rak: Faculty of Earth Science University, Jeli Campus, University Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli 17600, Malaysia
Balram Ambade: Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 831014, India
Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam: Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur 5400, Bangladesh

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-22

Abstract: Despite significant contributions to the national economy of Bangladesh, various urban developments, massive industrial and growing shipping activities are making the water of many urban rivers, including Karnaphuli River, extremely polluted. To find out the pollution sources and their possible health effects, 45 water samples were collected from 15 sampling stations. Investigation of six physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, total dissolved solids, conductivity, salinity, and turbidity) through in-situ measurements and eight heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) status using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) was carried out in this research. Both the physicochemical parameters and heavy metals exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO)’s permeable threshold limit. The calculated hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) ingestion values indicate non-carcinogenic risk both for adults and children, but dermal exposure was within the safety limit. Carcinogenic risk analysis revealed that Cd could cause a risk of cancer in those using the river water for a long period. Spatial analysis and metal pollution index (MPI) results exhibit that downstream of the river water is more polluted than upstream of the river. Overall, the findings of this study imply that polluted water is a threat to human health and the results will also help to undertake proper management strategies and incorporate monitoring programs that study river water for the implementation of safety measures to protect human health.

Keywords: Karnaphuli river; water quality; heavy metals; non-carcinogenic risk; source identification; spatial distribution; PCA test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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