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Concentration, spatial distribution, and non-carcinogenic risk assessment of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead in drinking water in rural areas of eight cities of West Azarbaijan province, Iran

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Abstract

Exposure to heavy metals through drinking water can cause significant adverse health effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the concentration, spatial distribution, and assessment of non-carcinogenic risk attributed to exposure to arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in rural areas of eight cities of the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. Eighty-five water samples were taken from randomly selected drinking water wells in the rural areas, and the concentration of the heavy metals was measured by using standard methods. The concentration distribution maps were drawn, and the non-carcinogenic health risks for ingestion and dermal exposure pathways were calculated in four age groups (including infants, children, teenagers, and adults). According to the obtained results, arsenic is considered as the most worrying pollutant among the investigated heavy metals. The maximum measured concentration for arsenic was 371.9 μg/L, which is 37 times the maximum permissible limit. The results of the health risk assessment illustrate that exposure to heavy metals via dermal contact do not pose significant non-carcinogenic risks. However, the calculated non-carcinogenic risks for oral exposure to arsenic were very high and concerning. The highest hazard quotient for oral exposure to arsenic was related to rural of city G (82.64). It is recommended to take the necessary measures as soon as possible regarding the supply of safe drinking water in the studied areas.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Grant No.: 10913. Farshad Bahrami Asl has received research support from Urmia University of Medical Sciences.

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  1. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran

    Elnaz Alipour, Ali Ahmad Aghapour & Farshad Bahrami Asl

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  1. Elnaz Alipour
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  2. Ali Ahmad Aghapour
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Concentration measurements were performed by Farshad Bahrami Asl and Elnaz Alipour. Data analysis and modeling were performed by Farshad Bahrami Asl, Elnaz Alipour, and Ali Ahmad Aghapour. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Farshad Bahrami Asl, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Farshad Bahrami Asl.

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This study protocol and procedures were approved by the institutional ethics committee of the Urmia University of Medical Sciences (#IR.UMSU.REC.1400.133).

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Alipour, E., Aghapour, A.A. & Bahrami Asl, F. Concentration, spatial distribution, and non-carcinogenic risk assessment of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead in drinking water in rural areas of eight cities of West Azarbaijan province, Iran. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 20222–20233 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32433-8

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