Health Risk Assessment Of Arsenic Research Articles

Contamination, speciation, and health risk assessment of arsenic in leafy vegetables in Ambagarh Chowki (India).

Green leafy vegetables are essential for a balanced diet, providing vital nutrients for overall well-being. However, concerns arise due to contamination with toxic substances, such as arsenic, posing risks to food safety and human health. This study analyzes inorganic (iAs), monomethyl (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA) in specific leafy vegetables (Amaranthus tricolor L., Corchorus olitorius L., Cordia myxa L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., Moringa oleifera Lam., and Spinacia oleracea L.) grown in the heavily polluted Ambagarh Chouki region, Chhattisgarh, India. Concentrations of DMA, MMA, and iAs ranged from 0 to 155, 0 to 7, and 131 to 3579mg·kg-1, respectively. The health quotient (HQ) for iAs ranged between 0.37 and 3.78, with an average value of 2.58 ± 1.08.

Arsenic (As), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) in northwest Croatian seafood: A health risks assessment

This study focuses on the health risk assessment of arsenic (As), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se) concentrations in seafood species commonly consumed in the northwestern region of Croatia. By measuring the concentrations of these elements coupled with data on seafood consumption, the health risks were evaluated using Target Hazard Quotients and Hazard Indexes. The results indicate a slightly increased health risks linked to seafood consumption for As, Cu and Zn in some of the tested seafood species. The findings of this study highlight the critical need for stronger food quality control measures, especially targeting certain types of seafood.

Refining health risk assessment of arsenic in wild edible boletus from typical high geochemical background areas: The role of As species, bioavailability, and enterotoxicity

Arsenic (As) is easily accumulated in wild Boletus. However, the accurate health risks and adverse effects of As on humans were largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the total concentration, bioavailability, and speciation of As in dried wild boletus from some typical high geochemical background areas using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 model. The health risk assessment, enterotoxicity, and risk prevention strategy after consumption of As-contaminated wild Boletus were further investigated. The results showed that the average concentration of As was 3.41–95.87 mg/kg dw, being 1.29–56.3 folds of the Chinese food safety standard limit. DMA and MMA were the dominant chemical forms in raw and cooked boletus, while their total (3.76–281 mg/kg) and bioaccessible (0.69–153 mg/kg) concentrations decreased to 0.05–9.27 mg/kg and 0.01–2.38 mg/kg after cooking. The EDI value of total As was higher than the WHO/FAO limit value, while the bioaccessible or bioavailable EDI suggested no health risks. However, the intestinal extracts of raw wild boletus triggered cytotoxicity, inflammation, cell apoptosis, and DNA damage in Caco-2 cells, indicating existing health risk assessment models based on total, bioaccessible, or bioavailable As may be not accurate enough. Given that, the bioavailability, species, and cytotoxicity should be systematically considered in accurate risk assessment. In addition, cooking mitigated the enterotoxicity along with decreasing the total and bioavailable DMA and MMA in wild boletus, suggesting that cooking could be a simple and effective way to decrease the health risks of consumption of As-contaminated wild boletus.

Health risk assessment of arsenic, lead and cadmium from milk consumption in Punjab, India.

Milk is an integral part of the human diet and its contamination with heavy metals may alter the health of its consumers. The study was conducted to assess the health risk associated with the heavy metals in milk samples collected from urban and rural households of Ludhiana and Bathinda districts of Punjab, India. One hundred and fifty milk samples were analyzed for heavy metals i.e. arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry ICP-MS. The health risks, such as non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks from heavy metals in milk samples, were calculated for selected males and females of adults, children and elderly subjects. The results indicated that the arsenic, cadmium and lead content in milk samples were within permissible limit whereas mercury was not detected in any sample. The mean values showed that the selected urban and rural population of both districts was safe from non-carcinogenic risk associated with heavy metal content of milk. However, urban (50% males and 86% females) and rural (25% males) children of Bathinda district were at risk of cancer from arsenic and cadmium present in milk samples, respectively. It was also observed that the selected population of both districts were safe from carcinogenic risk due to the combined effects of heavy metals. It was concluded that even with a small amount of heavy metal in milk samples, the rural adults, rural male children and urban female children of Bathinda district had carcinogenic risk due to milk consumption. Hence, regular monitoring and testing of milk samples must be done as a public health measure to prevent heavy metal contamination in milk to safeguard the health of consumers.

Spatiotemporal distribution and probabilistic health risk assessment of arsenic in drinking water and wheat in Northwest China

Drinking water arsenic poisoning has been a health concern, however the importance of dietary arsenic exposure to health also needs to be taken into account. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment of arsenic-contaminated substances in drinking water and wheat-based food intake in the Guanzhong Plain, China. 87 samples of wheat and 150 samples of water were randomly selected from the research region and examined. The level of arsenic in 89.33% of the water samples in the region exceeded the limit for drinking water (10 μg/L), with an average concentration of 29.98 μg/L. The arsenic in 2.13% of the wheat samples exceeded the food limit (0.5 mg/kg) with an average concentration of 0.24 mg/kg. Under the situation of different exposure pathways, two scenarios of deterministic and probabilistic health risk assessments were compared and analyzed. By contrast, the probabilistic health risk assessment can ensure a certain degree of confidence in the assessment results. The findings of this study indicated that the total cancer risk value faced by the population aged 3–79 years, except for those aged 4–6 years, was 1.03E-4–1.21E-3, which exceeded the 10E-6–10E-4 range of thresholds usually used by USEPA as guidance recommendations for determination. And the non-cancer risk experienced by the population aged 6 months to 79 years was higher than the acceptable threshold (1), with children aged 9 months to 1 year having the highest total non-cancer risk of 7.25. The potential health risks of the exposed population were mainly due to the drinking water route, and consumption of arsenic-containing wheat increased both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. Finally, the sensitivity analysis revealed that the assessment findings were most significantly influenced by exposure time. The amount of intake was the second influencing factor in the health risk assessment from drinking water and dietary intakes of arsenic, and arsenic concentration was the second influencing factor in the health risk assessment due to dermal exposure to arsenic. The findings of this study can aid in understanding the negative health consequences of arsenic pollution to local residents and in adopting focused remediation strategies to alleviate environmental concerns.

Contamination and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in soils of different kinds of land use in Lithuania

Using the case of five different kinds of land use from different territories of Lithuania, this study assesses the level of contamination and human health risk assessment of arsenic (As), and heavy metals (HMs) such as cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and chromium (Cr) in the surface soil of the study areas. Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) analysis indicated that heavy Cd contamination occurred in agricultural territory (AT), while for As, no contamination to mild contamination occurred in all territories. For living territory (LT), green territory (GT) and technical territory (TT), Igeo readings for Cu showed no pollution to moderate pollution, while there was no pollution for natural territory (NT) and AT. For AT, there is no contamination from Zn or Cr. By contrast, Igeo values for Zn and Cu represent minimal to no pollution in the remaining territories. As in LT and Cd in AT, two of the HMs discovered, were deemed to be of medium risk, whereas other components fell into the permitted range. Among three different routes to exposure, it was discovered that the ingestion pathway was the main health risk. The Hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) values for As, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Cr were lower than the suggested limit (HI = 1), indicating minimal non-carcinogenic risk to inhabitants in the study regions. The carcinogenic risk values for As (1.12E-04 children), Cd (2.20E-04 children), and Cr (2.35E-04 children) in AT pose a risk to children’s health when ingested. The GT’s carcinogenic readings for Cr (1.02 E+00 adult), put adults at risk of developing cancer, whereas As (1.89E-04) and Cr (2.28E-04) in LT put children at risk of cancer and for TT, both adults and children were at risk due to Cr’s higher carcinogenic values (1.93E-04 for adults and 5.21E-04 for children).

Characterization and health risk assessment of arsenic in natural waters of the Indus River Basin, Pakistan.

The elevated concentrations of arsenic in natural water are one of the major environmental threats to human health. However, the existing characteristics, controlling mechanisms, and associated risks of arsenic in natural waters in the Indus River Basin (IRB), Pakistan, are yet to be unequivocally understood. In this study, a total of 203 samples of surface water (SW), shallow groundwater (SGW), and deep groundwater (DGW) were collected from the IRB to assess the geochemical characteristics of arsenic and its associated health risks, as all three kinds of waters are the main sources of drinking and domestic usage. The results revealed that the arsenic concentrations in the SW, SGW, and DGW were in the ranges of 1.1-26.45, 1.05-44.44, and 0.67-41.09 μg L-1, respectively. Furthermore, the predominance of As (V) (97 %) over As(III) (3 %) confirmed that the desorption of As in oxidizing environments with elevated pH and Eh is the controlling mechanism. The hazard quotient of 11-45 % and 20-60 % samples and cancer risk of 26-64 % and 26-68 % samples indicated high health risks for the adults and children, respectively, suggesting an immense need for appropriate measures of reducing natural water arsenic concentrations in IRB from the human health perspectives.

Species composition and health risk assessment of arsenic in Agaricus blazei Murrill and Tricholoma matsutake from Yunnan Province, China

High concentrations of total arsenic (As) has been found in Agaricus blazei Murrill and Tricholoma matsutake samples. It is important to study the As species in A. blazei and T. matsutake for accurate health risk assessment. Total As was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). An analytical method was developed to determine As species in mushroom by using anion exchange and cation exchange chromatography coupled to ICP-MS. Total As contents ranged from 5.25 to 69.5 mg kg1. Arsenobetaine (AsB), inorganic arsenic (iAs), and monomethylarsenic acid (MMA) were the main form of As in A. blazei samples, which accounted for 42.7–88.8 %, 1.59–26.2 %, and 0.74–1.12 % of the extractable As, respectively. AsB, and dimethylarsenic acid (DMA) were the main form of As in T. matsutake samples, which accounted for 88.9–97.9 %, and 1.79–3.80 % of the extractable As, respectively. Arsenocholine (AsC), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), and tetramethylarsonium cation (TMA+) were present as well, but only at trace concentrations. The health risk index estimation results indicated that no particular risk of iAs exposure to consumers existed in T. matsutake. The iAs exposure in A. blazei can poses certain health risks.

Insight of the size dependent bioavailability and health risk assessment of arsenic in resuspended fly ash from power plants

Arsenic can obviously be accumulated in fly ash, and can pose serious health exposure to the on-site workers during the process of reuse and treatment via resuspension due to the fine particle size. However, the knowledge about that is very limit for the lack of effective resuspension equipment. In this study, a self-made resuspension device was designed and applied to re-collect fly ash with different sizes (TSP, PM10 and PM2.5). A sequential extraction procedure and in vitro tests (simulated lung fluid and simulated gastrointestinal fluid) were employed to explore the fractions and bioavailability of arsenic in the resuspended fly ash. Arsenic contents in fly ash increased with the decrease of particle size ranging from 15.15 to 67.78 mg kg−1. Five fractions were identified, and their distribution patterns in the particles with different sizes were also characterized. The fraction distribution of arsenic in fly ash was affected by particle size, and the ingestion and inhalation bioavailability of arsenic mainly depended on non-specifically sorbed and specifically-sorbed fractions. The bioavailability factors (BFs) of arsenic increased with the decrease of particle size, exceeding or approaching the high-risk level (BFs > 0.55). Regarding non-carcinogenic health risk via ingestion and inhalation, the HQ (Hazard Quotient) values of arsenic were lower than the safe level (HQ < 1). Notably, ingestion was the dominant contributor to cancer risk with CR values above acceptable threshold and under tolerable risk level (except three plants). The classification of fly ash is conducive to evaluate the health risk of arsenic more accurately in resuspended fly ash.

Genetic interpretation and health risk assessment of arsenic in Hetao Plain of inner Mongolia, China

Arsenic is a toxic element widely spread in soils and groundwater that can cause a great hazard to ecology and human health. In this paper, 51 groundwater and 12 sediment samples were analyzed to investigate the sources and evolution mechanism of arsenic and identify the hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia through Kriging interpolation, Piper trilinear diagram and ion correlation analysis. Results show that high arsenic groundwater is mainly distributed in the areas with reducing environment. Arsenic has a strong positive correlation with bicarbonic acid and a negative correlation with nitric acid. Arsenic in the sediment is easily adsorbed by iron-manganese compounds. In a reducing environment, arsenic is however released while iron-manganese oxides are reduced. Through triangular fuzzy numbers, a health risk assessment was conducted to evaluate the hazard caused by high arsenic groundwater to humans. Results suggest that the highest carcinogenic risk values of arsenic for children, men, and women are 3.9 × 10−3, 2.38 × 10−3, and 2.35 × 10−3, respectively that greatly exceeds the acceptable risk value. The findings of this paper provide useful insight into the occurrence mechanism of arsenic in those areas with high arsenic groundwater and the potential health risk to humans.

Health risk assessment of arsenic in drinking groundwater: A case study in a central high land area of Vietnam

Arsenic contaminated groundwaters is a global environmental issue which cause serious problems for human health risks. 188 groundwater samples were collected in private wells of Lam Dong Province, a central highland area, Vietnam to investigate the health risks to the local people by using arsenic contaminated groundwater for drinking purpose. The result showed that the arsenic concentration is average of 14 μg/L and maximum of 500 μg/L. About 12% out of the total groundwater samples have arsenic concentration exceeded that value of 10 μg/L recommended for drinking water by World Health Organization (WHO, 2019). The health risk assessment showed that hazard quotient (HQ) value for adults was up to 60.6 with an average of 1.7 and about 14% of total samples show the HQ values greater than 1. The HQ value for children is average of 4.7 (maximum of 166.7) and about 23% of total groundwater samples show HQ > 1 for children. Cancer risk (CR) values were up to 27x10-4 (average of 8x10-4) for adults and 75x10-4 (average of 21x10-4) for children. About 26% and 29% of out of the total samples show CR value for adult and children greater than the CR (1×10-4) proposed by the USEPA. The result also indicated that the consumption of arsenic contaminated groundwater may seriously damage the human health. Therefore, groundwater in the area needs to be treated for arsenic removal before drinking to minimize the adverse effect on local communities’ health.

Human health risk assessment of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury ingestion from baby foods

Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives reported on the presence of heavy metals in raw ingredients used in baby foods and in finished baby food products themselves. In light of these concerns, this study aimed to evaluate potential risks associated with the presence of heavy metals in baby food products. We analyzed 36 baby food samples representing four ingredient categories (fruit; leguminous vegetable; root vegetable; or grain) for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb). We assessed the potential lifetime cancer and non-cancer health risks posed to infants and toddlers following daily consumption of these chemicals in each food type, based on established daily food-specific ingestion rates. Daily doses were compared against selected reference values and oral slope factors to determine non-cancer hazard indices (HIs) and lifetime cancer risks. Hazard indices indicated a potential for non-cancer risk (e.g., HIs > 1.0) under only a few exposure scenarios, including for As and Pb under selected product type and age/concentration assumptions. Increases in lifetime cancer risks for all analytes across the ingredient categories evaluated ranged from 3.75 × 10−5 to 5.54 × 10−5; cancer risks were primarily driven by As from grain products. Though a limited set of exposure scenarios indicated a potential for health risk, the exposure assumptions in this assessment were conservative, and the heavy metal concentrations we found in baby foods are similar to those observed in similar whole foods. Based on these findings and the limited scenarios under which risks were identified, this study indicates that an infant’s typical intake of baby food is unlikely to pose health risks from heavy metals above accepted tolerable risk levels under most exposure scenarios.

Distribution, bioavailability, and human health risk assessment of arsenic in groundwater-soil-rice system in the Jianghan Plain, Central China.

Many studies have reported high arsenic concentrations in the groundwater and soil of the Jianghan Plain (JHP), an important rice production base in China. However, no comprehensive study on the occurrence and risk of As in groundwater-soil-rice systems in this region has been conducted. In this study, As concentrations in groundwater, soil, rice straw, and rice grain samples were analyzed. Arsenic concentrations were found to range from BDL to 42.88 μg/L (median 0.34 μg/L) in phreatic water, BDL to 41.77 μg/L (median 8.64 μg/L) in soil pore water, 10.20 to 21.90 mg/kg (mean 16.52 mg/kg) in soil, 0.204 to 2.860 mg/kg (mean 0.847 mg/kg) in rice straw, and 0.131 to 0.951 mg/kg (mean 0.449 mg/kg) in rice grain. Arsenic uptake by rice from soils was evaluated according to bioavailable As defined by chemical extraction and diffusive gradients in thin films. The results indicated that owing to the low content of highly mobile As fractions, the less mobile As fraction (mainly bound with amorphous Fe/Al (hydr)oxides) also contributed to bioavailable As, suggesting that amorphous Fe/Al bound As should be considered in analyzing bioavailable As. In terms of the geoaccumulation index and the Chinese paddy soil standard (GB15618-2018) limit (25 mg/kg), As pollution in water and soils in the study area is at a low level and can be considered relatively safe. However, the target hazard quotients and cancer risk assessment indicated that As pollution is at a dangerous level with potential human health risk. According to the bioconcentration factor, the bioavailability of soil is higher in JHP compared with other rice-growing areas owing to the unique hydrogeological conditions and irrigation using groundwater with high As content. Rice planting areas in JHP should be set as far away from large rivers as possible, and groundwater with high As concentrations must be pre-treated prior to irrigation.

Pollution index and health risk assessment of arsenic through different groundwater sources and its load on soil-paddy-rice system in a part of Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India

The present study investigates the As-contamination scenario in groundwater and treated drinking water sources from all the 9 gram panchayats under Raninagar-II block, Murshidabad. Approximately 54.6 % of groundwater samples from the domestic and community tube-wells (n = 366) are with As concentration above the permissible limit in drinking water (10 μg/l); while 37.3 % of groundwater samples from agricultural tube-wells (n = 67) are As-contaminated above its recommended value in irrigational water (100 μg/l). Malibari-II is the worst affected gram panchayat with mean As concentration of 141 μg/l (range: <3–995 μg/l; n = 67) in domestic tube-wells and 294 μg/l (range: 69.7–990 μg/l; n = 16) in irrigational water. Arsenic–Iron pollution index assessment and ecological risk analysis state that the groundwater of the study area is sternly polluted. About 12.5 tonnes of As is withdrawn every year through irrigational water in the entire block. Bio-accumulation of As in rice grain (1.78) and paddy whole grain (2.67) shows the potential of hyper-accumulation. The concentrations of two essential micro-nutrients in groundwater (Selenium and Zinc) are low (mean: 0.57 and 84.5 μg/l, respectively) which encourages the poor health of the local inhabitants. The populations can be expected to suffer from serious cancer and non-cancer risk through contaminated drinking water where the studied adult males face higher risk than the females. The R.O. and Sajaldhara water treatment plants show 77.6 and 74.4 % of As removal efficiency; however, dug wells are the safest drinking water source among all the available sources with a natural Fe/As ratio of 66.1 and account for lowest health risk according to SAMOE.

Pollution status, potential sources and health risk assessment of arsenic and trace metals in agricultural soils: A case study in Malatya province, Turkey

We measured the concentrations of arsenic and 11 trace metals in the soils from vegetable fields in Malatya province (Turkey) and assessed health risks for residential adults and children. Also, we assessed their potential sources, contamination status and ecological risks. Median concentrations of only As, Co, Ni and Cr exceeded the world soil average values, while those of Cd, As, Ni and Cu exceeded the upper continental crust contents. Contamination factor, enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index results indicated that the study region was contaminated with Cd, As, Ni and Cu likely due to use of irrigation water contaminated with industrial wastewaters and use of fertilizers and pesticides. Also, the study region had “high potential ecological risk” for Cd, whereas “low potential ecological risk” for the other trace metal(loid)s (TMs). Factor and hierarchical cluster analyses revealed that As and Cu were from anthropogenic sources, Cd and Ni from both natural and anthropogenic sources, while other TMs from natural sources. The hazard quotient values of all TMs and total hazard index values for both children and adults were lower than the risk level of 1, indicating that non-carcinogenic health risks are not expected for residents. Also, the cumulative carcinogenic risk results were within the acceptable risk range. Our results indicated that application of multivariate statistics, pollution, ecological and health indices together provide valuable knowledge for assessing soil pollution in a particular region.

Pollution and health risk assessment of arsenic in street dust and soil from an industrial zone

Taking an industrial area in Wuhan as the research object, single factor index, Geoaccumulation index and EPA health risk model are utilized to evaluate the pollution pattern and health risk of arsenic (As) in street dust with different particle fractions and soil. The results showed that the content of As in street dust increased with the decrease of particle size. The average content of As in street dust with fine particle fraction and soil exceeded the soil background value of Hubei Province, but did not exceed the screening value of “Soil Environmental Quality Construction Site Soil Pollution Risk Control Standards (Trial)”. The content of As in soil had a high correlation with that of dust with < 63 particle fraction at the corresponding point, with high fit degree (R2=0.6012). There was moderate to heavy pollution of As in areas surrounding industrial enterprises like Wuhan Iron and Steel, cement plants, and areas with high traffic flow and construction sites. The As of street dust and soil at some points posed a non-carcinogenic risk to children, but no carcinogenic risk. The ingestion pathway was the largest non-carcinogenic exposure route of As in street dust and soil from the research area.

Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of arsenic transformed from feed additive organoarsenicals around chicken farms on the North China Plain

Arsenic is frequently found in poultry waste, most of which is transformed from feed additive organoarsenicals, resulting in arsenic pollution of soils and water around poultry farms. The North China Plain, an important area for livestock breeding of China, was chosen to investigate the pollution characteristics and assess the health risk of arsenic around chicken farms. Among the 138 chicken farms sampled, almost no roxarsone, a common organoarsenical, was detected in chicken feeds, manure, and surface soils, while the detectable rate of other arsenic species was high. Because of long-term enrichment, the concentrations of arsenic species in manure were generally higher than that in feed. As(III) was the main inorganic arsenic species in the manure, where is reducing environment. In surface soils beneath the accumulated manure, As(V) was the predominant arsenic species with 100% detectable rate. The detectable rate and average concentrations at 0 cm were generally higher than those at 25 cm depth, indicating that arsenic accumulated in the surface soils. In addition, a typical conceptual diagram of arsenic was developed to clarify the pollution process from feed to soil. Through health risk assessment of inorganic arsenic, the carcinogenic risk (CR) and non-carcinogenic risk (non-CR) were both negligible. The city of Jiaozuo had the highest CR and non-CR, which was 11 times higher than that of the city with the lowest risks. This study presents a clear picture and evaluation of arsenic pollution on chicken farms, inspiring future studies assessing arsenic pollution after the ban of organoarsenicals.

Human health risk assessment of arsenic and trace metals in atmospheric dust of Arak industrial area, Iran.

In order to investigate concentrations, variability, sources, and human health risk of trace elements, 38 atmospheric dust samples were collected around Arak industrial area. The average concentrations of Cd~Zn, As, and Pb were 3.3, 2.5, and 2.4 times higher than the corresponding geochemical background, respectively, while concentrations of Co, Cu, Ni, and Hg were lower. Based on geo-accumulation index (Igeo), trace elements were classified between practically uncontaminated to moderate contaminated levels. The potential risk (RI) map showed that about 86% of the study area for all trace elements was in the moderate risk class. According to the results of positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, four factors were extracted for trace elements, including industrial sources, natural sources, mining, and transportation, that contributed about 30, 27, 26, and 17% to pollution of the area, respectively. The carcinogenic risks for inhalation exposure to Cd, As, Ni, and Co were lower than the permissible risk limit than the EPA recommend (10-6), indicating an acceptable level of risk. Results of the health risk evaluation indicated that the non-carcinogenic health risk (i.e., hazard quotient, HQ) for children and adults decrease following: As > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cd > Cu > Co > Hg. When excluding As, the hazard index (HI) was lower than the safe level (HI < 1) for all the trace elements, whereas HQ values of As for children and adults were 17.1 and 1.6, respectively, indicating a potential risk for children. In sum, several remedial actions to eliminate or to reduce the dust pollution are urgently required in the industrial area of Arak.

Human health risk assessment of arsenic in a region influenced by a large coal-fired power plant

Previous studies in the largest coal mining region of Brazil showed the strong influence of the coal-fired power plant in spatial distribution of As, especially in prevailing wind direction. However, it was not evaluated the risk of As on the local population. Thus, this study aims to assess the human health risk of As in a region under influence of atmospheric deposition of As from the coal-fired power plant. The human health risk assessment model was based on established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It estimate the average daily dose (ADD), non-carcinogenic (HQ) and carcinogenic risk by in oral, dermal and inhalation exposure routes, as well as, the contribution of each via to ADD, HQ and carcinogenic risk to soil and air. Separately, both air and soil exposure pathways show HQ and HI below the risk threshold (< 1). However, when considerate the sum of both exposure pathways in the worst scenario of As contamination in air (maximum concentrations) there are a carcinogenic risk in the most of evaluated areas, including in a control area. The maximum values of As in PM10 contribute to health risk by air inhalation pathway (1.45 µg/m3). Inhalation pathway presents the major contribution to ADDair and ADDtotal. However, oral and dermal routes were more important to ADDsoil. The study reveals that there is a carcinogenic risk for exposure to As at a distance of almost 10 km from the coal-fired power plant.

Arsenic health risk assessment and the evaluation of groundwater quality using GWQI and multivariate statistical analysis in rural areas, Hashtroud, Iran.

Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid that can cause significant health issues through drinking water. The present study was aimed to evaluate As distribution and the related health risks from drinking groundwater in rural areas of Hashtroud, Iran. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were also applied to better explain relationship pattern between different resources. The samples were taken from 51 locations in 37 villages. Arsenic concentration was determined by a polarograph device, and the corresponding carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were calculated based on US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guideline. PCA analysis extracted four main components that explained nearly 62% of data variance. Results pointed severe As contamination in the studied area, where As was detected in 78% of the samples ranging from less than 0.001 to 0.250 mg/L. Forty percent of the contaminated places violated guideline value of 10 μg/L suggested by EPA and institute of standards and industrial research of Iran (ISIRI). Based on our findings, 1329 people including 239 children were living in the areas with higher As contamination. Hazard quotient (HQ) in 72%, 59%, and 33% of the samples was higher than one for children, adolescent, and adult age groups, respectively. Excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) in almost 80% of all age groups was significantly higher than EPA recommended guideline (10-4 or 10-6). In summary, from the view point of arsenic HQ and ELCR, water resources in the studied areas were not appropriate for drinking and hygienic purposes; necessary and urgent management strategies to guarantee water supply and health safety for local residents should be considered.