Heavy Metals Pollution and Health Risk Assessment of Groundwater of Bikaner Block (Rajasthan)

Subject Areas : Journal of Chemical Health Risks

Leela Kaur ^{1 *} , Mukesh Kumar Sharma ² , Monika Kumari Kumari ³ , Radha Kishan Saran ⁴

1 - Department of Environmental Science, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner (Rajasthan), India
2 - National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
3 - Department of Environmental Science, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner (Rajasthan), India
4 - Department of Environmental Science, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner (Rajasthan), India

Received: 2024-08-01 Accepted : 2024-09-15 Published : 2025-01-19

Keywords: Groundwater quality, Sustainable water resource management, Heavy metals, Heavy metal pollution index, Health risk assessment,

Abstract :

The quality of groundwater is crucial while its management is ignored. The present study investigated heavy metals pollution and health risk assessment of groundwater quality of Bikaner block (Rajasthan), India. The concentrations of heavy metals above the permissible limits can cause harm to human health. The study evaluated cancer and non-cancer health risks of heavy metals in groundwater for both children and adults based on hazard quotients (HQ), hazard indices (HI), and cancer risks (CR). Samples were collected from 26 sampling sites of Bikaner block. The physiochemical analysis of water samples was done. Selected heavy metals are Al, As, B, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, U, V, and Zn which were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Metal index (MI) and heavy metal pollution index (HPI) were evaluated. Human health risks were assessed through ingestion and skin contact routes. The hazard quotient was in the order Hg > U > B > Sr > As > Cr > V for both children and adults. The HI was higher in children as compared to adults. The hazard index (HI) of more than 1 was of As, B, Cr, Hg, Sr, U, and V for adults and children. Cancer Risk of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb metals were detected and showed a higher risk for children than adults. Chromium was a major cancer risk factor in children than adults (0.000232). The results demonstrated the presence of metal pollution and metal risks to human health.

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