Trace metals contamination in groundwater and implications on human health: comprehensive assessment using hydrogeochemi
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Trace metals contamination in groundwater and implications on human health: comprehensive assessment using hydrogeochemical and geostatistical methods K. Brindha
. Rajib Paul . Julien Walter . Mou Leong Tan . Mahesh Kumar Singh
Received: 2 December 2019 / Accepted: 16 June 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Monitoring the groundwater chemical composition and identifying the presence of pollutants is an integral part of any comprehensive groundwater management strategy. The present study was conducted in a part of West Tripura, northeast India, to investigate the presence and sources of trace metals in groundwater and the risk to human health due to direct ingestion of groundwater. Samples were collected from 68 locations twice a year from 2016 to 2018. Mixed Ca–Mg–HCO3, Ca–Cl and Ca–Mg–Cl
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-020-00637-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. K. Brindha (&) Hydrogeology Group, Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universita¨t Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
were the main groundwater types. Hydrogeochemical methods showed groundwater mineralization due to (1) carbonate dissolution, (2) silicate weathering, (3) cation exchange processes and (4) anthropogenic sources. Occurrence of faecal coliforms increased in groundwater after monsoons. Nitrate and microbial contamination from wastewater infiltration were apparent. Iron, manganese, lead, cadmium and arsenic were above the drinking water limits prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Water quality index indicated 1.5% had poor, 8.7% had marginal, 16.2% had fair, 66.2% had good and 7.4% had excellent water quality. Correlation and principal component analysis reiterated the sources of major ions and trace metals identified from hydrogeochemical methods. Human exposure assessment suggests health risk due to high iron in groundwater. The presence of unsafe levels of trace metals in groundwater requires proper treatment measures before domestic use.
R. Paul M. K. Singh Department of Chemistry, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura 799 022, India
Keywords Heavy metals Iron Faecal coliforms PHREEQC Empirical Bayesian kriging Factor analysis
J. Walter Department of Applied Sciences, Centre d’e´tudes sur les ressources mine´rales (CERM), Risk Resources Water (R2eau) Research Group, Universite´ du Que´bec a` Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
Introduction
M. L. Tan Geography Section, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
Trace metals occur naturally in the environment, and their presence in groundwater is generally not desired as many have toxic effects even at low concentrations.
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Environ Geochem Health
This is problematic especially in the urban and rural areas where groundwater serves as a major source for drinking water supply. A
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