Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the arsenic concentration and related health risks in groundwater extracted from tube wells. The physicochemical parameters, including arsenic (As), were investigated using standard procedures. The parameters were found within the permissible limits except for arsenic, which was 78 µg/L. Unfortunately, 82% of the collected water samples were found contaminated with arsenic and exceeded the permissible limit set by the world health organization (10 µg/L). The water intake and its relationship between arsenic concentration, time, and induced symptoms in the study area residents were observed. Skin pigmentation, skin irritation, and numbness of the body were recognized as the major symptoms, and these symptoms were significantly correlated with p-value ˂ 0.05. In comparison, individuals who intake As-contaminated water (> 50 µg/L) for a duration of > 20 years show severe symptoms. Furthermore, health risk assessment associated with arsenic in terms of chronic daily intake (CRI), hazard quotient (HQ), and cancer risk assessment probability (CR) in groundwater was also studied. The HQ of arsenic was 7.46, and the CR value of As on Ravi road was as high as 0.00149, which indicates a possibility of cancer risk in the community Ravi road, Lahore. Based on the findings, the study area needs special monitoring and management of groundwater to reduce health risks associated with contaminated drinking water. Moreover, suitable remediation methods for removing arsenic should be adopted to avoid arsenic exposure and related health risks.
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Acknowledgements
We are thankful to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) Regional Office Lahore for providing support and all laboratory facilities.
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Habib Ur Rehman: sample collection, formal analysis and writing-original draft. Saeed Ahmed: sample collection, formal analysis, interpretation, review and editing. Mujeeb Ur Rahman: formal analysis, review and editing. Muhammad Sajid Mehmood: review and editing.
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Ur Rehman, H., Ahmed, S., Ur Rahman, M. et al. Arsenic contamination, induced symptoms, and health risk assessment in groundwater of Lahore, Pakistan. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 49796–49807 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19405-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19405-6