Groundwater Quality, Health Risk Assessment, and Source Distribution of Heavy Metals Contamination around Chromite Mines: Application of GIS, Sustainable Groundwater Management, Geostatistics, PCAMLR, and PMF Receptor Model
Article
Rashid, Abdur, Ayub, Muhammad, Ullah, Zahid, Ali, Asmat, Sardar, Tariq, Iqbal, Javed, Gao, Xubo Gao, Bundschuh, Jochen, Li, Chengcheng, Khattak, Seema Anjum, Ali, Liaqat, El-Serehy, Hamed A., Kaushik, Prashant and Khan, Sardar. 2023. "Groundwater Quality, Health Risk Assessment, and Source Distribution of Heavy Metals Contamination around Chromite Mines: Application of GIS, Sustainable Groundwater Management, Geostatistics, PCAMLR, and PMF Receptor Model." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 20 (3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032113
| Article Title | Groundwater Quality, Health Risk Assessment, and Source Distribution of Heavy Metals Contamination around Chromite Mines: Application of GIS, Sustainable Groundwater Management, Geostatistics, PCAMLR, and PMF Receptor Model |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 44293 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Rashid, Abdur, Ayub, Muhammad, Ullah, Zahid, Ali, Asmat, Sardar, Tariq, Iqbal, Javed, Gao, Xubo Gao, Bundschuh, Jochen, Li, Chengcheng, Khattak, Seema Anjum, Ali, Liaqat, El-Serehy, Hamed A., Kaushik, Prashant and Khan, Sardar |
| Journal Title | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
| Journal Citation | 20 (3) |
| Article Number | 2113 |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Year | 2023 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG |
| Place of Publication | Switzerland |
| ISSN | 1660-4601 |
| 1661-7827 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032113 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2113 |
| Abstract | Groundwater contamination by heavy metals (HMs) released by weathering and mineral dissolution of granite, gneisses, ultramafic, and basaltic rock composition causes human health concerns worldwide. This paper evaluated the heavy metals (HMs) concentrations and physicochemical variables of groundwater around enriched chromite mines of Malakand, Pakistan, with particular emphasis on water quality, hydro-geochemistry, spatial distribution, geochemical speciation, and human health impacts. To better understand the groundwater hydrogeochemical profile and HMs enrichment, groundwater samples were collected from the mining region (n = 35), non-mining region (n = 20), and chromite mines water (n = 5) and then analyzed using ICPMS (Agilent 7500 ICPMS). The ranges of concentrations in the mining, non-mining, and chromite mines water were 0.02–4.5, 0.02–2.3, and 5.8–6.0 mg/L for CR, 0.4–3.8, 0.05–3.6, and 3.2–5.8 mg/L for Ni, and 0.05–0.8, 0.05–0.8, and 0.6–1.2 mg/L for Mn. Geochemical speciation of groundwater variables such as OH?, H+, Cr+2, Cr+3, Cr+6, Ni+2, Mn+2, and Mn+3 was assessed by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Geochemical speciation determined the mobilization, reactivity, and toxicity of HMs in complex groundwater systems. Groundwater facies showed 45% CaHCO3, 30% NaHCO3, 23.4% NaCl, and 1.6% Ca-Mg-Cl water types. The noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risk of HMs outlined via hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard indices (THI) showed the following order: Ni > Cr > Mn. Thus, the HHRA model suggested that children are more vulnerable to HMs toxicity than adults. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HACA) showed three distinct clusters, namely the least, moderately, and severely polluted clusters, which determined the severity of HMs contamination to be 66.67% overall. The PCAMLR and PMF receptor model suggested geogenic (minerals prospects), anthropogenic (industrial waste and chromite mining practices), and mixed (geogenic and anthropogenic) sources for groundwater contamination. The mineral phases of groundwater suggested saturation and undersaturation. Nemerow’s pollution index (NPI) values determined the unsuitability of groundwater for domestic purposes. The EC, turbidity, PO4?3, Na+, Mg+2, Ca+2, Cr, Ni, and Mn exceeded the guidelines suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). The HMs contamination and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health impacts of HMs showed that the groundwater is extremely unfit for drinking, agriculture, and domestic demands. Therefore, groundwater wells around the mining region need remedial measures. Thus, to overcome the enrichment of HMs in groundwater sources, sustainable management plans are needed to reduce health risks and ensure health safety. © 2023 by the authors. |
| Keywords | geochemical modelling; heavy metals; water quality; sustainable management; health risk; geochemical speciation |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 4011. Environmental engineering |
| Byline Affiliations | China University of Geosciences, China |
| University of Peshawar, Pakistan | |
| Hazara University, Pakistan | |
| Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan | |
| University of Southern Queensland | |
| King Saud University, Saudi Arabia | |
| Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain |
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