Abstract
Groundwater is an important resource for domestic and irrigation purposes in the Yinchuan Region, northwest China. However, the groundwater quality in this area is degrading because of human activities, and this adversely affects human health. In an effort to quantitatively describe the pollution status of groundwater and its influence on human health, comprehensive water quality index was used for drinking water quality assessment, and salinity–alkalinity method was applied to evaluate the irrigation water quality. Furthermore, the human health risk of the drinking groundwater has been evaluated with the model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The results reveal that most of groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation except a few with high salinity and alkalinity. However, over 70 % of the phreatic water samples and nearly half of the confined water samples do not conform to the drinking water quality standard, and many parameters such as total dissolved solids, total hardness, and Na+ and SO4 2− exceed their limits. Noncarcinogenic risks of all collected water samples are relatively negligible. While carcinogenic risks in nearly 30 % of phreatic water samples and over 20 % of confined water samples surpass the acceptable level recommended by ICRP (5 × 10−5 per year), Cr6+ is the main influencing factor on the risk. In addition, the study shows that the severe groundwater pollution in the study area is conjunctively caused by industry and agricultural activities. Therefore, effective measures must be implemented to prevent further deterioration of water quality and reduce the health risks for local residents.
References
Aguilar L (2004) Effect of alkalinity in irrigation water on selected greenhouse crops. A & M University, College Station
Aksoy A, Scheytt T (2007) Assessment of groundwater pollution around Torbali, Izmir, Turkey. Environ Geol 53(1):19–25. doi:10.1007/s00254-006-0614-5
Akter A, Ali M (2011) Arsenic contamination in groundwater and its proposed remedial measures. Int J Environ Sci Technol 8(2):433–443
APHA (2005) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 21st edn. American Public Health Association, Washington
Bouderbala A (2015) Assessment of groundwater quality and its suitability for agricultural uses in the Nador Plain, north of Algeria. Water Qual Expo Health 7:445–457. doi:10.1007/s12403-015-0160-z
Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision of China (1994) National standard of the People’s Republic of China: quality standard for groundwater, GB/T 14848-93. Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision of China, Beijing (in Chinese)
Daniele L, Corbella M, Vallejos A, Díaz-Puga M, Pulido-Bosch A (2013) Geochemical simulations to assess the fluorine origin in Sierra de Gador groundwater (SE Spain). Geofluids 2(13):194–203
Deutsch B, Kahle P, Voss M (2006) Assessing the source of nitrate pollution in water using stable N and O isotopes. Agron Sustain Dev 26(4):263–267. doi:10.1051/agro:2006025
Esmaeili A, Moore F, Keshavarzi B (2014) Nitrate contamination in irrigation groundwater, Isfahan, Iran. Environ Earth Sci 72(7):2511–2522
Geng F, Xue L, Lu G, Wu Y (2006) Water quality health-hazard risk assessment on drinking water supply sources. J Hydraul Eng 37(10):1242–1245 (in Chinese)
Han D, Tong X, Jin M, Hepburn E, Tong C, Song X (2013) Evaluation of organic contamination in urban groundwater surrounding a municipal landfill, Zhoukou, China. Environ Monit Assess 185:3413–3444. doi:10.1007/s10661-012-2801-z
Jalali M (2011) Nitrate pollution of groundwater in Toyserkan, western Iran. Environ Earth Sci 62:907–913. doi:10.1007/s12665-010-0576-5
Ji Y, Zhang L, Qian H (2005) Reason and prevention measures of nitrogen pollution in groundwater at Yinchuan area. J Earth Sci Environ 27(3):100–103
Kortatsi B, Tay C, Anornu G, Hayford E, Dartey G (2008) Hydrogeochemical evaluation of groundwater in the lower Offin basin, Ghana. Environ Geol 53(8):1651–1662
Kuhr P, Haider J, Kreins P, Kunkel R, Tetzlaff B, Vereecken H, Wendland F (2013) Model based assessment of nitrate pollution of water resources on a federal state level for the dimensioning of agro-environmental reduction strategies: the North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) case study. Water Resour Manag 27:885–909. doi:10.1007/s11269-012-0221-z
Li P, Qian H (2011) Human health risk assessment for chemical pollutants in drinking water source in Shizuishan City, Northwest China. Iran J Environ Health Sci Eng 8(1):41–48
Li P, Qian H, Wu J (2010a) Groundwater quality assessment based on improved water quality index in Pengyang County, Ningxia, Northwest China. J Chem 7(S1):S209–S216. doi:10.1155/2010/451304
Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2010b) Groundwater quality assessment based on entropy weighted osculating value method. Int J Environ Sci 1(4):621–630
Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2012) Groundwater quality assessment based on rough sets attribute reduction and TOPSIS method in a semi-arid area, China. Environ Monit Assess 184(8):4841–4854. doi:10.1007/s10661-011-2306-1
Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2013) Assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation purposes and identification of hydrogeochemical evolution mechanisms in Pengyang County, China. Environ Earth Sci 69(7):2211–2225. doi:10.1007/s12665-012-2049-5
Li P, Qian H, Wu J (2014a) Accelerate research on land creation. Nature 510(7503):29–31. doi:10.1038/510029a
Li P, Qian H, Wu J, Chen J, Zhang Y, Zhang H (2014b) Occurrence and hydrogeochemistry of fluoride in shallow alluvial aquifer of Weihe River, China. Environ Earth Sci 71(7):3133–3145. doi:10.1007/s12665-013-2691-6
Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2014c) Hydrogeochemistry and quality assessment of shallow groundwater in the southern part of the Yellow River alluvial plain (Zhongwei section), China. Earth Sci Res J 18(1):27–38. doi:10.15446/esrj.v18n1.34048
Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2014d) Origin and assessment of groundwater pollution and associated health risk: a case study in an industrial park, northwest China. Environ Geochem Health 36:693–712. doi:10.1007/s10653-013-9590-3
Li P, Qian H, Howard KWF, Wu J (2015) Building a new and sustainable “Silk Road economic belt”. Environ Earth Sci 74(10):7267–7270. doi:10.1007/s12665-015-4739-2
Li P, Wu J, Qian H, Zhang Y, Yang N, Jing L, Yu P (2016a) Hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater in and around a wastewater irrigated forest in the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, Northwest China. Expo Health. doi:10.1007/s12403-016-0193-y
Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2016b) Hydrochemical appraisal of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes and the major influencing factors: a case study in and around Hua County, China. Arab J Geosci 9(1):15. doi:10.1007/s12517-015-2059-1
Li P, Li X, Meng X, Li M, Zhang Y (2016c) Appraising groundwater quality and health risks from contamination in a semiarid region of northwest China. Expo Health. doi:10.1007/s12403-016-0205-y
Mahvi A, Nouri J, Babaei A, Nabizadeh R (2005) Agricultural activities impact on groundwater nitrate pollution. Int J Environ Sci Technol 2(1):41–47
Manecki P, Gałuszka A (2012) Groundwater quality as a geoindicator of organochlorine pesticide contamination after pesticide tomb reclamation: a case study of Franciszkowo, Northwestern Poland. Environ Earthsci 67(8):2441–2447. doi:10.1007/s12665-012-1694-z
Ministry of Environmental Protection of the PRC (2011) National plan of groundwater pollution prevention (2011–2020). http://www.zhb.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bwj/201111/W020111109376922920938.pdf. Accessed 18 Apr 2015 (in Chinese)
Ministry of Environmental Protection of the PRC (2014) Technical guidelines for risk assessment of contaminated sites, HJ 25.3-2014. China Environmental Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese)
Ministry of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China (2006) Industry standard of the People’s Republic of China: the specification of testing quality management for geological laboratories, DZ/T 0130.1-2006. Ministry of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing (in Chinese)
Momot O, Synzynys B (2005) Toxic aluminium and heavy metals in groundwater of middle Russia: health risk assessment. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2(2):214–218. doi:10.3390/ijerph2005020003
Nasrabadi T, Bidabadi N (2013) Evaluating the spatial distribution of quantitative risk and hazard level of arsenic exposure in groundwater, case study of Qorveh County, Kurdistan Iran. Iran J Environ Health Sci Eng. doi:10.1186/1735-2746-10-30
Ni F, Liu G, Ren H, Yang S, Ye J, Lu X (2009) Health risk assessment on rural drinking water safety—a case study in rain city district of Ya’an city of Sichuan Province. J Water Resour Prot 2:128–135. doi:10.4236/jwap.2009.12017
Qian H, Li P (2011) Hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in Yinchuan plain and their control factors. Asian J Chem 23(7):2927–2938
Qian H, Li P, Howard KWF, Yang C, Zhang X (2012) Assessment of groundwater vulnerability in the Yinchuan Plain, Northwest China using OREADIC. Environ Monit Assess 6(184):3613–3628. doi:10.1007/s10661-011-2211-7
Qian H, Wu J, Zhou Y, Li P (2013a) Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes as indicators of lake water recharge and evaporation in the lakes of the Yinchuan plain. Hydrol Process 28(10):3554–3562. doi:10.1002/hyp.9915
Qian H, Li P, Wu J, Zhou Y (2013b) Isotopic characteristics of precipitation, surface and ground waters in the Yinchuan plain, Northwest China. Environ Earth Sci 70(1):57–70. doi:10.1007/s12665-012-2103-3
Sperling O, Lazarovitch N, Schwartz A, Shapira O (2014) Effects of high salinity irrigation on growth, gas-exchange, and photoprotection in date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L., cv. Medjool). Environ Exp Bot 99(3):100–109
Sun Y, Qian H, Wu X (2007) Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater depression cones in Yinchuan city, Northwest China. Chin J Geochem 4(26):350–355
Tai T, Wang J, Wang Y, Bai L (2012) Groundwater pollution risk evaluation method research progress in our country. J Beijing Norm Univ Nat Sci 06:648–653 (in Chinese)
Uddin M, Harun-Ar-Rashid A, Hossain S, Hafiz M, Nahar K, Mubin S (2006) Slowarsenic poisoning of the contaminated groundwater users. Int J Environ Sci Technol 3(4):447–453
Wei J, Mi W, He T (2008) Assessment of the safety status for the drinking water supply sources and its management strategies in Yinchuan city. Water Resour Water Eng 19(3):65–68 (in Chinese)
Wongsasuluk P, Chotpantarat Siriwong W, Robson M (2014) Heavy metal contamination and human health risk assessment in drinking water from shallow groundwater wells in an agricultural area in Ubon Ratchathani province. Environ Geochem Health Thail. doi:10.1007/s10653-013-9537-8
World Health Organization (WHO) (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water quality 4th edn. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241548151_eng.pdf. Accessed 31 March 2013
Wu J, Sun Z (2015) Evaluation of shallow groundwater contamination and associated human health risk in an alluvial plain impacted by agricultural and industrial activities, mid-west China. Expo Health 2015:1–19. doi:10.1007/s12403-015-0170-x
Wu J, Li P, Qian H (2012) Study on the hydrogeochemistry and non-carcinogenic health risk induced by fluoride in Pengyang County, China. Int J Environ Sci 2(3):1127–1134. doi:10.6088/ijes.00202030001
Wu J, Li P, Qian H (2015) Hydrochemical characterization of drinking groundwater with special reference to fluoride in an arid area of China and the control of aquifer leakage on its concentrations. Environ Earth Sci 73(12):8575–8588. doi:10.1007/s12665-015-4018-2
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41502234 and 41572236), Natural Science Foundation of Science and Technology Department in Hebei Province (13274520 and D2016403044), Natural Science Foundation of Education Department in Heibei Province (D2015149), Youth Natural Science Foundation of Shijiazhuang University of Economics (QN201508), Teaching Reform Research Project of Shijiazhuang University of Economics (2014J04), Open foundation of Key Laboratory of groundwater resources of Ministry of land and resources of the People’s Republic of China (KF201509), and Natural Science Foundation of Ministry of Water Resources in Hebei Province (201501). The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers and the editors who helped us in improving the quality of the paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhou, Y., Wei, A., Li, J. et al. Groundwater Quality Evaluation and Health Risk Assessment in the Yinchuan Region, Northwest China. Expo Health 8, 443–456 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-016-0219-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-016-0219-5