Deterioration of water quality poses a risk to human health and agriculture. In this study, drinking (n = 75) and irrigation water (n = 60) samples were collected from Sargodha, Punjab and physicochemical characteristics, potential toxic element (PTE) contamination, spatial patterns and associated health risks were assessed. Physicochemical parameters like pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, temperature were estimated. PTE evaluation was done for Pb and Cd through atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean concentrations of Pb and Cd in drinking water were 0.0042 and 0.0112 mg L−1, respectively. All drinking water samples were above the WHO guideline for Cd concentration. The deterministic Cd hazard indices (HIs) were 6.08 for children and 3.73 for adults. The elevating risk of Cd was confirmed through the Monte Carlo simulation, and 100
Soil metal(loid) contamination is a recognized global driver of chronic human health risk, particularly for children in urban coastal settings. This study evaluates the spatial heterogeneity and human health risks of arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in urban soil across three structurally linked coastal localities in south-central Chile: Dichato, Tomé, and Penco. Sampling followed a systematic 500-m grid (183 soil samples), analyzed by ICP-OES and interpreted using USEPA exposure modeling and ordinary kriging interpolation. While these localities share a uniform Paleozoic basement, spatial concentration patterns suggest that localized anthropogenic inputs and distinct surficial weathering pathways potentially drive localized exposure vectors. The results reveal a demographic disparity in toxicological vulnerability, with the child population exhibiting non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk metrics approximately one order of magnitude greater than adults, primarily driven by the oral ingestion pathway. While cumulative non-carcinogenic hazard indices remain safely below the regulatory threshold (HI < 1) across all sectors, the corrected cumulative lifetime cancer risk (∑CR) for children in Penco (9.17 × 10−5) and Tomé (6.65 × 10−5), calculated using the As-oral slope factor, falls within the USEPA-defined acceptable risk range (10−⁶–10−4), approaching its upper bound. These findings underscore an environmental public health configuration that, while not exceeding the acceptable risk benchmark, emphasizes the need for targeted mitigation and continued monitoring to manage potential metal(loid) mobilization during future land-use transitions or civil construction in these sensitive coastal zones.
Groundwater samples were analyzed for the activity of 222Rn and 210Po and estimated the associated radiological doses to the population of Mandya district, Karnataka, India. 222Rn concentration was estimated using a Smart Radon Monitor, while 210Po was quantified through standard radiochemical methods. The activity of 222Rn varied from 0.11 ± 0.01 to 57.35 ± 4.03 Bq L−1, with a geometric mean of 2.11 ± 0.23 Bq L−1, and the total effective dose due to ingestion and inhalation of 222Rn varied from 0.97 ± 0.09 to 291.07 ± 20.45 μSv y−1 with a geometric mean value of 11.87 ± 1.20 μSv y−1. The 210Po activity concentration varied from 4.63 ± 0.63 to 396.89 ± 23.15 mBq L−1, with a geometric mean of 32.98 ± 10.01 mBq L−1, and the annual ingestion dose ranged from 4.06 ± 0.55 to 347.68 ± 20.28 μSv y−1, with a geometric mean value of 28.90 ± 8.78 μSv y−1. While all 222Rn concentrations were below the WHO permissible limit of 100 Bq L−1, 17
Fe–Nb–REE mineral resource development may promote the accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and rare earth elements (REEs) in surrounding soils, whereas assessments based solely on total concentrations cannot adequately reflect elemental mobility or potential oral exposure. This study investigated soils from a mining area in North China and the associated mineral processing and smelting area. Total concentrations and chemical fractions, the index of geoaccumulation (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (PERI), Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET), In Vitro Gastrointestinal (IVG) digestion method, and human health risk assessment were integrated to evaluate the pollution characteristics, bioaccessibility, and potential environmental and health risks of PTEs and REEs. The overall pollution level and potential ecological risk were higher in the mining area than in the mineral processing and smelting area. Cd and Pb were the primary PTEs of concern, while LREEs accounted for more than 94
Groundwater has become a vital and increasingly relied-upon resource, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In the northern Algerian Sahara, the deep Continental Intercalaire (CI) aquifer, whose geothermal waters are exploited intensively, is the main, and often the only, source of irrigation. Despite this heavy reliance, which can impair water quality and threaten ecosystems, soils, crops, and public health, the suitability of the CI water for irrigation and the long-term sustainability of its use remain insufficiently studied. This study therefore evaluates the irrigation suitability of the CI geothermal water using the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) combined with GIS-based spatial analysis. Thirty-two geothermal groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for key physicochemical parameters using standard laboratory techniques. The geothermal waters (mean temperature = 48.6 °C, pH = 7.44, and EC = 2752 µS/cm) exhibit a mixed hydrochemical composition, with Na⁺ (203.47 mg/L; 36
