Health Risk Assessment of Nitrate and Fluoride in the Groundwater of Central Saudi Arabia

Abstract

High nitrate and fluoride contamination in groundwater cause a variety of disorders, including methemoglobinemia, teratogenesis, and dental and skeletal fluorosis. The present work assesses the non-carcinogenic health risks posed by nitrate and fluoride in infants, children, and adults using the daily water intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI). Groundwater samples were collected from 36 wells and boreholes in three central Saudi Arabian study areas for nitrate and fluoride analysis using ionic chromatography and fluoride selective electrode, respectively. Nitrate concentrations varied from 0.70 to 47.00 mg/L. None of the 36 studied boreholes had nitrate levels that exceeded WHO guidelines (50.00 mg/L). Fluoride ranged from 0.63 to 2.00 mg/L, and 30.55% of the fluoride samples (11 out of 36) exceeded the WHO recommendations for acceptable drinking water (1.5 mg/L). The average hazard index (HI) values for adults, children, and infants were 0.99, 2.59, and 2.77, respectively. Water samples surpassed the safety level of 1 for adults, children, and infants at 44.44, 97.22, and 100%, respectively. Accordingly, water samples from Jubailah and a few from Wadi Nisah may expose infants, children, and adults to non-cancer health concerns. Infants and children are more vulnerable to non-carcinogenic health risks than adults, possibly due to their lower body weight. Immediate attention and remedial measures must be implemented to protect residents from the adverse effects of F- in the study area.

Assessment of nitrate concentrations in groundwater of Tal Abta SubDistrict, Iraq: Health risks and pollution evaluation

“…After reaching the environment laboratory at the College of Education for Pure Sciences, the concentrations of nitrate ions were measured using (4500-NO3-B) (ultraviolet sorting method), by taking a known volume of water sample, then adding 1 ml of hydrochloric acid 1N Shake to homogenize the sample, then measure using a UV spectrophotometer of the type (Shimadzu) of Japanese origin at wavelengths of 220 and 275 nm taking into account Planck's work to correct the readings and then compare them with the standard curve and according to the concentration in ppm (APHA, 1998;2017). After that, the risk of nitrates is estimated according to the limits indicated by the US-EPA (HI= HQ ≤ 1.0) (Alharbi and El-Sorogy, 2023).…”

“…It should also be noted that Moderate levels of nitrates have vital benefits on human health as a result of the production of nitrous oxide, which plays a vital role in increasing the elasticity of blood vessels and thus reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases, as shown in Fig. 1 (Adimalla and Peiyue, 2019;Al-Hussein et al, 2023;Alharbi and El-Sorogy, 2023).…”

“…There is a growing concern about the quality of groundwater and its impact on human health when consuming water with high concentrations of nitrates, which negatively affect human health. As it was listed as a carcinogenic substance by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) as a result of its interactions with amines and amides to form nitrous-amine or amide compounds, this topic has received global attention due to its devastating effects on human health (Patel et al, 2020;Kom et al, 2022;Alharbi and El-Sorogy, 2023). Groundwater is used directly without any treatment, which may cause potential risks for consumers of this water as more than 85% of drinking water supplies depend on groundwater resources, especially residents of rural areas (Al Gadi et al, 2023).…”

Human health risk assessment of microbial contamination and trace metals in water and soils of Chileka Township, Blantyre, Malawi

“…where "C" is the measured concentration of the contaminant (NO 3 ─ or Cd) in the water (mg/L), "IR" is the rate at which a person drinks water (2 L/day for adults, 1.5 L/day for children, and 0.8 L/day for infants, "ED" is the duration of exposure in years (40 years for adults, 10 years for children, and 1.0 year for infants, "EF" is the exposure frequency in days (d) (365 days for adults, children, and infants, "BW" is the average body weight in kg (70 kg for adults, 20 kg for children, and 10 kg for infants, and "AT" is the average time (14,600 days for adults, 3650 days for children, and 365 days for infants), according to [33].…”

Water Environment Pollution and Control in the Dual-Carbon Background

“…In this wide "Water Environment Pollution and Control" framework, this Special Issue aimed to provide important knowledge and lay a sound scientific foundation for the control and management of water environment pollution by studying the environmental behaviors and bioavailabilities of various pollutants. The thirteen articles in this Special Issue focusing on water environmental pollution and control are mainly divided into four categories: (1) the composition characteristics and environmental behaviors of the pollutants in the surface water (i.e., the Chinese lakes Ulansuhai [1], Hulun Lake [2], Tai Lake [3], Shahu Lake [4], and Russian Ancient lakes [5]); (2) the assessment of groundwater and aquifer interaction [6] and the sources, risks, and management of groundwater pollution [7]; (3) the impact of polluted water on human health [8][9][10]; and (4) the removal of pollutants in water [11][12][13].…”