Groundwater is often used for domestic and irrigation purposes, even in mining areas. Mine drainage, rainfall, and infiltration cause heavy metal enrichment, adversely affecting the groundwater and harming human health. In this study, water samples (October 2021) in the Suzhou southern coal mining area were analyzed for the heavy metals As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn to determine potential effects of heavy metal contamination on environmental quality and human health. It was found that 22% and 31% of the sampling sites had “excellent” and “good” water quality, respectively. Excessive concentrations of Fe and Mn were detected in 47% and 72% of the samples, respectively. The non-carcinogenic health risk values of As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn were below the negligible levels of health risk set by various environmental agencies. Content ranking was as follows: Fe > Mn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Zn > As, with Fe accounting for 43%. All sampling points exceeded the maximum acceptable level of Cr recommended by the agencies. Chromium, the major carcinogenic factor in the study area, contributed to 95.45% of the total health risk. Therefore, the authorities in this region must closely monitor three heavy metal elements—Fe, Mn, and Cr.
Groundwater is the main water supply in Suzhou City in China. In recent years, heavy metal contamination of urban groundwater sources has become a serious threat to water quality and human health. Groundwater samples from 87 monitoring wells were collected in the study area and analyzed using ICP-MS spectrometry, their major heavy metals concentrations have been analyzed by a series of chemical and statistical indexes for the evaluation of pollution status and dinking suitability. We found that heavy metals are evenly distributed in the groundwater source, 10% of the samples were of excellent quality and 75% were deemed good; however, 70% of the samples exceeded the allowed Mn content. In 62% of the samples, the carcinogenic risk of As exceeded the recommended levels. Based on the non-carcinogenic health risk values, the metals could be ordered as follows: Mn>Fe>Pb>Cu> As>Zn. Mn accounted for 71% of health risk, and the total health risk was mostly due to excess As. Therefore, the levels of As, Mn, and other heavy metal elements in this region warrant urgent regulatory strategies and methods to reduce the Mn concentration should be continuously investigated.
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