Health risk assessment of the population of the Republic of Buryatia associated with increased nitrate and nitrite intake

Abstract

AIM: To conduct a hygienic assessment of the health risk levels associated with drinking water with high nitrate and nitrite contents in the rural territories of the Republic of Buryatia.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: The content of nitrates and nitrites in drinking water in comparison with the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) was assessed in the period of 20102019. With the use of the risk assessment methodology, non-carcinogenic risk (HQ) for adult and child populations of priority territories is calculated.
 RESULTS: In the territory of the Republic of Buryatia, two priority territories were identified according to the largest content of nitrates in the drinking water of a centralized cold water supply system: Mukhorshibirsky and Tarbagatai districts. The maximum nitrate concentrations reached 4.52 and 4.11 MPC, respectively, which are 1.71 and 1.45 times higher than in the previous five-year period, respectively. A similar situation was observed in the non-centralized water supply system in these areas, with 4.98 MPC in the Mukhorshibirsky district (1.88 times higher) and 3.41 MPC in Tarbagatai (2.53 times higher).
 CONCLUSIONS: The unacceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk due to nitrate contamination of drinking water at the level of the average centile trend (Me) is established for the adult and child population provided with centralized water supply in the Tarbagatai region. The HQ exceeds the acceptable level for children consuming decentralized drinking water in the Mukhorshibirsky district. The risk levels for children and adults due to oral intake of nitrites with drinking water of centralized and non-centralized water supply were not dangerous (HQ 1).