Abstract
Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid that can cause significant health issues through drinking water. The present study was aimed to evaluate As distribution and the related health risks from drinking groundwater in rural areas of Hashtroud, Iran. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were also applied to better explain relationship pattern between different resources. The samples were taken from 51 locations in 37 villages. Arsenic concentration was determined by a polarograph device, and the corresponding carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were calculated based on US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guideline. PCA analysis extracted four main components that explained nearly 62% of data variance. Results pointed severe As contamination in the studied area, where As was detected in 78% of the samples ranging from less than 0.001 to 0.250 mg/L. Forty percent of the contaminated places violated guideline value of 10 μg/L suggested by EPA and institute of standards and industrial research of Iran (ISIRI). Based on our findings, 1329 people including 239 children were living in the areas with higher As contamination. Hazard quotient (HQ) in 72%, 59%, and 33% of the samples was higher than one for children, adolescent, and adult age groups, respectively. Excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) in almost 80% of all age groups was significantly higher than EPA recommended guideline (10−4 or 10−6). In summary, from the view point of arsenic HQ and ELCR, water resources in the studied areas were not appropriate for drinking and hygienic purposes; necessary and urgent management strategies to guarantee water supply and health safety for local residents should be considered.
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This study was part of an MSc thesis in environmental engineering. The authors wish to thank Hashtroud and Tabriz health centers for their comprehensives support of the study.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Samira Sheikhi, Zahra Faraji, and Hassan Aslani. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Samira Sheikhi, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Highlights
• HQ and ELCR violated standards in most of the studied villages.
• Children in the contaminated places were at most risk.
• In nearly 80% of the resources, ELCR was higher than the recommended standard.
• As concentration in drinking water of 1329 individual was higher than the standard.
• Emergency supervisory actions must be considered to replace water resources.
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Sheikhi, S., Faraji, Z. & Aslani, H. Arsenic health risk assessment and the evaluation of groundwater quality using GWQI and multivariate statistical analysis in rural areas, Hashtroud, Iran. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 3617–3631 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10710-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10710-6