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Heavy metal contamination and exposure risk assessment via drinking groundwater in Vehari, Pakistan

  • Environmental Toxicology and Risks Associated with Human Health
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Abstract

The presence of toxic substances in aquifers, particularly potentially toxic heavy metals, is an important environmental and social concern worldwide. These heavy metals are capable to exert many injurious health effects in human beings by intake of drinking metal-contaminated water. However, very little attention is paid towards quantitative and qualitative analysis of groundwater used for drinking purpose in several less-developed countries. Therefore, this study was intended to estimate, for the first time, the heavy metal levels in groundwater/drinking water in District Vehari, Pakistan. A total of 129 groundwater samples were obtained and subjected to analyze heavy metal concentrations (lead, copper, cadmium, nickel, manganese, chromium, iron, and zinc). Moreover, pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, total dissolved solids, and anion (carbonates, chloride, and bicarbonates) and cation (calcium, potassium, sodium, lithium, and barium) contents of groundwater were also determined. It was noticed that the values of several groundwater physicochemical characteristics such as cation contents, alkalinity, chloride concentration, and especially the concentrations of heavy metals such as Pb (93%), Cd (68%), and Fe (100%) were higher than their limit values given by WHO. Principal component analysis separately grouped heavy metals and physicochemical characteristics of groundwater. The risk assessment indices predicted potential carcinogenic risks due to the consumption of metal-rich groundwater, predominantly with Cd (0.0007–0.03). The mean hazard quotient (HQ) values for all the metals were < 1, while Pb showed HQ > 1 envisaging non-carcinogenic risk with the consumption of studied groundwater. The findings of the study emphasized on the need of appropriate approaches to remediate groundwater before being used for drinking purpose.

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Funding

The authors received financial assistance from the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan, via research project (20-4423/R&D/HEC/14/980).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Vehari, 61100, Pakistan

    Sana Khalid, Muhammad Shahid,  Natasha, Ali Haidar Shah, Farhan Saeed, Mazhar Ali & Saeed Ahmad Qaisrani

  2. Centre d’Etude et de Recherche Travail Organisation Pouvoir (CERTOP), UMR5044, Université J. Jaurès–Toulouse II, 5 allée Antonio Machado, 31058, Toulouse, France

    Camille Dumat

  3. Université de Toulouse, INP-ENSAT, Av. de l’Agrobiopôle, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France

    Camille Dumat

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  1. Sana Khalid
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  2. Muhammad Shahid
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  3. Natasha
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  4. Ali Haidar Shah
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  5. Farhan Saeed
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  7. Saeed Ahmad Qaisrani
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Correspondence to Muhammad Shahid.

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Khalid, S., Shahid, M., Natasha et al. Heavy metal contamination and exposure risk assessment via drinking groundwater in Vehari, Pakistan. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 39852–39864 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10106-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10106-6

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