Human health hazard assessment for high groundwater arsenic and fluoride intact in Malda district, Eastern India

Abstract

Human health risk assessment is a technique used to estimate the potential impact of a thread on the health of a person, a group of individuals or a community. Agricultural, nuclear, aerospace, oil, rail and military sectors, as well as policy makers, have a long history of risk assessment to address increased health-related issues, such as people exposed to varying amounts of toxic substances. For this work, 288 samples have been collected from the PHE websites, each sample having four ion values (Arsenic, Iron, pH and Fluoride). In this study, the “probability kriging” is a geo-statistical method used to predict the risk magnitude and risk probability of these areas. The risk probability was measured using a semi-variogram, a kriging geo-statistical model. High arsenic risk probability zone is located in the southern and western parts of the district, high iron risk probability zone is scattered, high pH risk probability is located in the southern part of the district, and high fluoride risk zone is located in the eastern part of the district. Finally, a population density map has been used on probability map to better explain the risk to human health. Extremely high human health risks associated with arsenic and pH, while low to medium human health risks associated with fluoride or iron are present in the region. Spatial interpolation results in a risk map for human health which can be easily read and communicated. This may make it possible to consider significant mitigation measures to control drinking water supplies in the Malda district.