Abstract
Arsenic and fluoride are two natural components affecting human health. Long-term exposure to arsenic and fluoride, mainly through drinking water intake, can lead to arsenicosis and fluorosis. In this paper, we summarized the distribution and hydrochemical characteristics of high-arsenic and high-fluoride groundwater, and reviewed the arsenicosis and fluorosis distribution due to consumption of high-arsenic and high-fluoride groundwater in China. The results show that there are 20 major provinces//autonomous regions (about 60%) in China suffering from high-arsenic groundwater, and these high-arsenic groundwater provinces are mainly located in the fluvial/alluvial-lacustrine plains and basins located in arid/semi-arid regions and alluvial plains/basins and river deltas in humid/semi-humid regions. Drinking water arsenicosis has been found in 13 provinces/autonomous regions, with Shanxi and Inner Mongolia being the two most seriously affected areas. High-fluoride groundwater is widely distributed in north, northeast and northwest parts of China, occurring mainly in shallow groundwater. Fluorosis has been found in 29 provinces/autonomous regions. With the continuous implementation of water quality improvement projects, drinking water fluorosis and arsenic poisoning have been effectively controlled. However, the long-term maintenance and operation of the water quality improvement project need to be further strengthened.
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Acknowledgements
Financial support has been received from various agencies for the research presented in this paper: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (41761144059), the Special Funds for Basic Scientific Research of Central Colleges (300102299301), the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation (161098), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015M580804, 2016M590911, 2016T090878 and 2017T100719), the Shaanxi Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015BSHTDZZ09 and 2016BSHTDZZ03), and the Ten Thousand Talent Program (W03070125). We are also very grateful to the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their useful and constructive comments.
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He, X., Li, P., Ji, Y. et al. Groundwater Arsenic and Fluoride and Associated Arsenicosis and Fluorosis in China: Occurrence, Distribution and Management. Expo Health 12, 355–368 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-020-00347-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-020-00347-8