Abstract

Purposive random sampling at 36 sampling locations was carried out in the post-monsoon season, including 34 (94.44%) from hand pumps and two (5.56%) from dug wells, in order to determine the health risk of groundwater arsenic in Chandrapur district, India. The acid digestion method by using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy was adopted to determine the groundwater arsenic concentration. Arsenic concentration ranged from 0.015 to 0.041 mg/L, with an average of 0.031 mg/L (±0.005). The average non-carcinogenic risk from ingestion (HQ_Oral) and dermal contact (HQ_Dermal) from the study area in males, females, and children were 3.2023, 3.7845, 6.6531 and 0.0111, 0.0117, 0.0182, respectively. The average HQ_Total were 3.2134, 3.7962, and 6.6713 for male, female and children, respectively. In case of average carcinogenic risk from ingestion (CR_Oral) and dermal contact (CR_Dermal) from the study area in males, females, and children were 0.0014, 0.0017, 0.0030, and 5.01×10^-6, 5.26×10^-6, 8.18×10^-6, respectively. The average CR_Total for males, females, and children were 0.0014, 0.0017, and, 0.0030 respectively. Of the residents in the study area, children are more vulnerable to both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks than males and females. The maximum health risk for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic was through oral ingestion rather than dermal pathway. As both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks are beyond the acceptance level at all sampling locations residents are vulnerable to health risks associated with groundwater arsenic.

Keywords: Arsenic exposure, Groundwater contamination, Hazard index, Health risk, Hydrogeochemistry, Central India