Evaluation of Water Quality, Urinary Mercury & Arsenic Investigation and Survey of Diseases Associated with Drinking Water Sources
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2022.1730Keywords:
Water Quality, Public Health, Drinking Water, Heavy Metals, Cross-sectional SurveyAbstract
Background: Contamination of freshwater sources can be caused by both anthropogenic and natural processes. WHO reported that 1.1 billion people worldwide consume contaminated water, and the majority of diarrheal diseases (88%) are caused by it. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Maharashtra along with two other states contribute 80% of hazardous waste, including heavy metal pollution in India. Certain dissolved heavy metals are easily absorbed by aquatic organisms and can enter the body through drinking water, skin absorption, and biological chains, posing a health risk. Hence, the main objectives of the study were, (1) surface and groundwater quality assessment, (2) to determine the association of diseases/symptoms with different sources of drinking water used, and (3) urinary Mercury (Hg) and Arsenic (As) levels investigation in the study population.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the industrialized city of Solapur, Maharashtra, India. The study area was limited to 25 km around the industrial hub. A total of 557 people were randomly selected for the survey, with consumers from all four types of water sources i.e., surface, handpump, wells, and municipal water. Spot urine samples were collected for estimating Hg and As levels after considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. People under treatment for tuberculosis, cancer, and chronic heart, lung, or kidney ailments were excluded. Also, pregnant and lactating women were not included. One surface water, one municipal water, and five handpump water samples were collected for evaluating water quality. Samples were analyzed for pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Fluoride, Ammonia, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Nickel, Copper, Zinc, Chromium, and Manganese.
Results: The water samples were observed to be neutral to slightly basic. TDS was between 410 to 1898 mg/L for groundwater whereas for surface water was 378 & 450 mg/L. F concentration ranged between 0.4 to 0.9 mg/L, Zn from 0.32 to 0.57 mg/L, and NH3 was found to be <0.1 mg/L.
Out of 557 people, 43 (7.7%) used surface water, 194 (34.8%) used handpump, 64 (11.5%) used well, and 256 (46%) used municipal water. Among surface water users, 14 (32.5%) people reported frequent loose stools (p-value <0.05), and 11 (25.5%) people reported frequent abdominal pain. Handpump and well water users majorly reported frequent abdominal pain and gastric discomfort (p-value <0.05) respectively.
47 people were selected for estimating urinary Hg and As levels after considering exclusion and inclusion criteria. The mean value of urinary Hg & As are 4.91 ± 0.280 & 42.04 ± 2.635 µg/L respectively.
Conclusion: In our study frequent loose stools, abdominal pain, and gastric discomfort were associated with the various sources of drinking water. Urine Hg levels were above the permissible reference value set by NHANES (USA) Survey. Additionally, it is advised that frequent drinking water monitoring be implemented in the vicinity of the industrial hub since metal accumulation may be dangerous to consumers when it is present in excess, and if found higher, necessary action should be taken to reduce exposure.
Metrics
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2023-02-21 (2)
- 2022-12-31 (1)
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Sayan Sarkar, Govind Mawari, Naresh Kumar, Mradul Kumar Daga, Mongjam Meghachandra Singh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site; with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from the Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Enforcement of copyright
The IJMS takes the protection of copyright very seriously.
If the IJMS discovers that you have used its copyright materials in contravention of the license above, the IJMS may bring legal proceedings against you seeking reparation and an injunction to stop you using those materials. You could also be ordered to pay legal costs.
If you become aware of any use of the IJMS' copyright materials that contravenes or may contravene the license above, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org
Infringing material
If you become aware of any material on the website that you believe infringes your or any other person's copyright, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org
