Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Integrated evaluation system under randomness and fuzziness for groundwater contamination risk assessment in a little town, Central China

  • Published:
Journal of Central South University Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An integrated evaluation system under randomness and fuzziness was developed in this work to systematically assess the risk of groundwater contamination in a little town, Central China. In this system, randomness of the parameters and the fuzziness of the risk were considered simultaneously, and the exceeding standard probability of contamination and human health risk due to the contamination were integrated. The contamination risk was defined as a combination of “vulnerability” and “hazard”. To calculate the value of “vulnerability”, pollutant concentration was simulated by MODFLOW with random input variables and a new modified health risk assessment (MRA) model was established to analyze the level of “hazard”. The limit concentration based on environmental-guideline and health risk due to manganese were systematically examined to obtain the general risk levels through a fuzzy rule base. The “vulnerability” and “hazard” were divided into five categories of “high”, “medium-high”, “medium”, “low-medium” and “low”, respectively. Then, “vulnerability” and “hazard” were firstly combined by integrated evaluation. Compared with the other two scenarios under deterministic methods, the risk obtained in the proposed system is higher. This research illustrated that ignoring of uncertainties in evaluation process might underestimate the risk level.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. FINIZIO A, VILLA S. Environmental risk assessment for pesticides: A tool for decision making [J]. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2002(22): 235–248.

    Google Scholar 

  2. HU E B. Practical techniques and methods for environmental risk assessment [M]. Beijing: China Environmental Science Press, 2000: 163–164. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  3. ROSEN L, WLADIS D, RAMAEKERS D. Risk and decision analysis of groundwater protection alternatives on the European scale with emphasis on nitrate and aluminium contamination from diffuse sources [J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 1998, 61: 329–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. LO I M C, LWA W K W, SHEN H M. Risk assessment using stochastic modeling of pollutant transport in landfill clay liners [J]. Water Science and Technology, 1999, 39: 337–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. ARUNRAG N S, MANDAL S, MAITI J. Modeling uncertainty in risk assessment: An integrated approach with fuzzy set theory and Monte Carlo simulation [J]. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2013, 55: 242–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. CHEN D J, DAHLGREN R A, SHEN Y N, LU J. A Bayesian approach for calculating variable total maximum daily loads and uncertainty assessment [J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2012, 430: 59–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. HOU Y, BURKHARD B, MULLER F. Uncertainties in landscape analysis and ecosystem service assessment [J]. Journal of Environmental Management, 2013, 127: 117–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. SCHLATHER M, HUWE B. A risk index for character rising flow pattern in soils using dye tracer distributions [J]. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 2005, 79: 25–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. STENEMO F, JORGENSEN P R, JARVIS N. Linking a one-dimensional pesticide fate model to a three-dimensional groundwater model to simulate pollution risks of shallow and deep groundwater underlying fractured till [J]. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 2005, 79: 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. DARBRA R M, ELJARRAT E, BARCELO D. How to measure uncertainties in environmental risk assessment [J]. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 2008, 27: 377–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. BACIOCCHIA R, BERARDIB S, VERGINLLI I. Human health risk assessment: Models for predicting the effective exposure duration of on-site receptors exposed to contaminated groundwater [J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2010, 81: 226–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. DURMUSOGLUA E, TASPINARB F, KARADEMIRA A. Health risk assessment of BTEX emissions in the landfill environment [J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2010, 176: 870–877.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. LIU Y, ZHENG B H, FU Q, MENG W, WANG Y Y. Risk assessment and management of arsenic in source water in China [J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2009, 170: 729–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. HUNG M L, WU S Y, CHEN Y C. The health risk assessment of Pb and Cr leachated from fly ash monolith landfill [J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2009, 172: 316–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. ZENG G M, GUO S L, SHI L. Patial analysis of human health risk associated with ingesting manganese in Huangxing Town, Middle China [J]. Chemosphere, 2009, 77(3): 368–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. MOHAMED A M O, COTE K. Decision analysis of polluted sites-a fuzzy set approach, Waste Manage [J]. Waste Management, 1999, 19: 519–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. URICCHIO V F, GIORDANO R., LOPEZ N. A fuzzy knowledge-based decision support system for groundwater pollution risk evaluation [J]. Journal of Environmental Management, 2004, 73: 189–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. ROSELLO M J P, MARTINEZ J M V, NAVARRO B A. Vulnerability of human environment to risk: case of groundwater contamination risk [J]. Environment International, 2009, 35(2): 325–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. US EPA, Integrated Risk Information System: Manganese (CASRN 7439-96-5) [R]. US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  20. FRANSSEN H J H, STAUFFER F, KINZELBACH W. Joint estimation of transmissivities and recharges-application: stochastic characterization of well capture zones [J]. Journal of Hydrology, 2004, 294: 87–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. LIU B D, ZHAO R Q, WANG G. Uncertain programming with application [M]. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press. 2003. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  22. LI J B, HUANG G H, ZENG G M, MAQSOOD I, HUANG Y F. An integrated fuzzy-stochastic modeling approach for risk assessment of groundwater contamination [J]. Journal of Environmental Management, 2007, 82: 173–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. EPA U S, Risk assessment guidance for superfund, vol. I: Human health evaluation manual (Part A) [R]. US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, EPA 540/1-89/002, Washington, DC, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  24. 600Z-92/001, Guidelines for Exposure Assessment [S].

  25. LI L, YANG L, LIAO R. Study on body mass index of adults in Chengdu area [J]. Journal of Preventive Medicine Information, 2001, 17(2): 241–243. (in Chinese)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. PASSARELLA G, VURRO M, DAGOSTINO V, GIULIANO G, BARCELONA M J. A probabilistic methodology to assess the risk of groundwater quality degradation [J]. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2002, 79: 57–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Hui-na Zhu  (祝慧娜) & Yong-de Liu  (刘永德)

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

    Hui-na Zhu  (祝慧娜), Xing-zhong Yuan  (袁兴中), Jie Liang  (梁婕), Hong-wei Jiang  (江洪炜) & Hua-jun Huang  (黄华军)

  3. Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control of Ministry of Education (Hunan University), Changsha, 410082, China

    Hui-na Zhu  (祝慧娜), Xing-zhong Yuan  (袁兴中), Jie Liang  (梁婕), Hong-wei Jiang  (江洪炜) & Hua-jun Huang  (黄华军)

  4. School of Management Science and Engineering, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanning, 530003, China

    Juan Yin  (尹娟)

Authors
  1. Hui-na Zhu  (祝慧娜)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xing-zhong Yuan  (袁兴中)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jie Liang  (梁婕)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yong-de Liu  (刘永德)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Juan Yin  (尹娟)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hong-wei Jiang  (江洪炜)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Hua-jun Huang  (黄华军)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xing-zhong Yuan  (袁兴中).

Additional information

Foundation item: Projects(51039001, 51009063) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project(SX2010-026) supported by State Council Three Gorges Project Construction Committee Executive Office, China; Project(2012BS046) supported by Henan University of Technology, China; Project(BYHGLC-2010-02) supported by the Guangzhou Water Authority, China

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhu, Hn., Yuan, Xz., Liang, J. et al. Integrated evaluation system under randomness and fuzziness for groundwater contamination risk assessment in a little town, Central China. J. Cent. South Univ. 21, 1044–1050 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-014-2035-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-014-2035-z

Key words

Search

Navigation