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Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 17531

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peter Knappett

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Guest Editor

Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: groundwater; geogenic contaminants; arsenic; fluoride; fecal bacteria; viruses; groundwater–surface water interactions; urban aquifers

Dr. Taehyun Roh

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Guest Editor

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Public Health, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: environmental epidemiology; water quality; public health interventions; global health; chronic disease; children's health; toxicology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although preventable, it is still common for people to drink water that exceeds established safe drinking water limits of geogenic elements. Behind every human exposure to geogenic contaminants in drinking water or soil are a natural environmental process and a social pathway. Social pathways may include economic constraints, cultural beliefs and practices. These pathways may be forged by enticements of the convenience of cheap, good tasting, shallow groundwater, or affordable land. The pathways to exposure may be further constrained by climate, geological processes, and stake-holder awareness of the existence toxic elements in the water or soil. Long time lags between exposure to geogenic contaminants and negative intelligence or health outcomes make it challenging for public health agencies to identify when human exposure has occurred. For this reason, it can also be challenging to convince potentially exposed populations to take preventative measures. When exposure to a geogenic contaminant does occur, that exposure results from a break-down in partially overlapping layers of responsibilities of households, communities, municipalities, private companies, charities and states to provide safe drinking water to their stake-holders.

We invite original research papers that report these pathways to human exposure of geogenic contaminants in water and soil, as well as studies that describe solutions to mitigate that exposure. Mitigation efforts may include testing, reporting, education, research, government or community policy changes, engineered solutions or public health interventions.

Dr. Peter Knappett
Dr. Taehyun Roh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

chronic health effects
geogenic
drinking water
soil
Arsenic
Fluoride
Lead
water treatment
mitigation
learning disabilities

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 18022 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Arsenic and Atrazine Contaminations in Drinking Water in Iowa: A Public Health Concern

by Taehyun Roh, Peter S. K. Knappett, Daikwon Han, Gabriele Ludewig, Kevin M. Kelly, Kai Wang and Peter J. Weyer

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5397; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20075397 - 04 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4818

Abstract

Arsenic and atrazine are two water contaminants of high public health concern in Iowa. The occurrence of arsenic and atrazine in drinking water from Iowa’s private wells and public water systems was investigated over several decades. In this study, the percentages of detection and violation of regulations were compared over region, season, and water source, and factors affecting the detection and concentration of arsenic and atrazine were analyzed using a mixed-effects model. Atrazine contamination in drinking water was found to vary by region, depending on agricultural usage patterns and hydrogeological features. The annual median atrazine levels of all public water systems were below the drinking water standard of 3 ppb in 2001–2014. Around 40% of public water systems contained arsenic at levels > 1 ppb in 2014, with 13.8% containing arsenic at levels of 5–10 ppb and 2.6% exceeding 10 ppb. This unexpected result highlights the ongoing public health threat posed by arsenic in drinking water in Iowa, emphasizing the need for continued monitoring and mitigation efforts to reduce exposure and associated health risks. Additionally, an atrazine metabolite, desethylatrazine, should be monitored to obtain a complete account of atrazine exposure and possible health effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil)

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18 pages, 852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Community Perceptions of Arsenic Contaminated Drinking Water and Preferences for Risk Communication in California’s San Joaquin Valley

by Hollynd Boyden, Mayela Gillan, Javier Molina, Ashok Gadgil and Winston Tseng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 813; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20010813 - 01 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2045

Abstract

Due to chronic exposure to elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water, thousands of Californians have increased risk for internal cancers and other adverse health effects. The mortality risk of cancer is 1 in 400 people exposed to above 10 μg/L of arsenic in their drinking water. The purpose of this community assessment was to understand the perceptions and awareness of the residents and public water representatives in rural, unincorporated farming communities of color in San Joaquin Valley, California. In our research, we asked 27 community informants about their (1) available water sources, (2) knowledge about the health impacts of arsenic, and (3) preferences for risk communication and education regarding the health impacts of arsenic-contaminated drinking water. Through our qualitative coding and analysis, we found that most community informants indicated that there was limited community awareness about the health effects of drinking water with elevated arsenic levels. Preferences for risk communication included using in-language, culturally relevant, and health literate health promotion strategies and teaching these topics through the local K-8 schools’ science curriculum with a language brokerage approach to transfer student knowledge to family members. Key recommendations include implementing these communication preferences to increase community-wide knowledge about safe drinking water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil)

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10 pages, 829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Biomonitoring of Arsenic Exposure in Mothers and Their Neonates in Comarca Lagunera, Mexico

by José Javier García Salcedo, Taehyun Roh, Lydia Enith Nava Rivera, Nadia Denys Betancourt Martínez, Pilar Carranza Rosales, María Francisco San Miguel Salazar, Mario Alberto Rivera Guillén, Luis Benjamín Serrano Gallardo, María Soñadora Niño Castañeda, Nacny Elena Guzmán Delgado, Jair Millán Orozco, Natalia Ortega Morales and Javier Morán Martínez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192316232 - 04 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2262

Abstract

Multiple comorbidities related to arsenic exposure through drinking water continue to be public problems worldwide, principally in chronically exposed populations, such as those in the Comarca Lagunera (CL), Mexico. In addition, this relationship could be exacerbated by an early life exposure through the placenta and later through breast milk. This study conducted a comparative analysis of arsenic levels in multiple biological samples from pregnant women and their neonates in the CL and the comparison region, Saltillo. Total arsenic levels in placenta, breast milk, blood, and urine were measured in pregnant women and their neonates from rural areas of seven municipalities of the CL using atomic absorption spectrophotometry with hydride generation methodology. The average concentrations of tAs in drinking water were 47.7 µg/L and 0.05 µg/L in the exposed and non-exposed areas, respectively. Mean levels of tAs were 7.80 µg/kg, 77.04 µg/g-Cr, and 4.30 µg/L in placenta, blood, urine, and breast milk, respectively, in mothers, and 107.92 µg/g-Cr in neonates in the exposed group, which were significantly higher than those in the non-exposed area. High levels of urinary arsenic in neonates were maintained 4 days after birth, demonstrating an early arsenic exposure route through the placenta and breast milk. In addition, our study suggested that breastfeeding may reduce arsenic exposure in infants in arsenic-contaminated areas. Further studies are necessary to follow up on comorbidities later in life in neonates and to provide interventions in this region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil)

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23 pages, 4305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Quality Assessment Bias Associated with Long-Screened Wells Screened across Aquifers with High Nitrate and Arsenic Concentrations

by Yibin Huang, Yanmei Li, Peter S. K. Knappett, Daniel Montiel, Jianjun Wang, Manuel Aviles, Horacio Hernandez, Itza Mendoza-Sanchez and Isidro Loza-Aguirre

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9907; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19169907 - 11 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1519

Abstract

Semi-arid regions with little surface water commonly experience rapid water table decline rates. To hedge against the falling water table, production wells in central Mexico are commonly installed to depths of several hundred meters below the present water table and constructed as open boreholes or perforated casings across their entire length. Such wells represent highly conductive pathways leading to non-negligible flow across chemically distinct layers of an aquifer—a phenomenon known as ambient flow. The objectives of this study were to estimate the rate of ambient flow in seven production wells utilizing an end-member mixing model that is constrained by the observed transient chemical composition of produced water. The end-member chemical composition of the upper and lower layers of an urban aquifer that overlies geothermal heat is estimated to anticipate the future quality of this sole source of water for a rapidly growing urban area. The comprehensive water chemistry produced by seven continuously perforated municipal production wells, spanning three geologically unique zones across the city of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato State, was monitored during one day of pumping. The concentration of conservative constituents gradually converged on steady-state values. The model indicates that, relative to the lower aquifer, the upper aquifer generally has higher specific conductance (SC), chloride (Cl), nitrate (NO₃), calcium (Ca), barium (Ba) and magnesium (Mg). The lower aquifer generally has a higher temperature, sodium (Na), boron (B), arsenic (As) and radon (Rn). Ambient flow ranged from 33.1 L/min to 225.7 L/min across the seven wells, but this rate for a given well varied depending on which tracer was used. This new 3D understanding of the chemical stratification of the aquifer suggests that as water tables continue to fall, concentrations of geothermally associated contaminants of concern will increase in the near future, potentially jeopardizing the safety of municipal drinking water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil)

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16 pages, 2530 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fluoride Exposure through Different Drinking Water Sources in a Contaminated Basin in Guanajuato, Mexico: A Deterministic Human Health Risk Assessment

by Paulina Farías, Jesús Alejandro Estevez-García, Erika Noelia Onofre-Pardo, María Luisa Pérez-Humara, Elodia Rojas-Lima, Urinda Álamo-Hernández and Diana Olivia Rocha-Amador

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11490; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182111490 - 31 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3294

Abstract

Water fluoride levels above the World Health Organization’s guideline (1.5 mg/L), common in overexploited aquifers, represent a health hazard. Our objective was to assess the health risks posed by exposure to fluoride in different drinking water sources in a contaminated basin in Mexico. Fluoride was measured in mutual drinking water sources and in the urine of 39 children and women. Risks were estimated through hazard quotient (HQ) by drinking water source. Dental fluorosis was assessed in the children. Mean fluoride water concentrations (mg/L) were: well, 4.2; waterhole, 2.7; bottled, 2.1; rainwater, 0.4. The mean urinary fluoride concentrations (specific gravity adjusted) were 2.1 mg/L and 3.2 mg/L in children and women, respectively. Our multiple linear regression model showed children’s urinary fluoride concentrations increased 0.96 mg/L for every 1 mg/L increase in water fluoride (p < 0.001). Dental fluorosis was diagnosed in 82% of the children, and their HQ according to drinking water source was: well, 1.5; waterhole, 1.1; bottled, 0.8; harvested rainwater, 0.3. The pervasive dental fluorosis indicates a toxic past fluoride exposure; urinary fluoride levels and HQs indicate high exposure and current health risks for most children. Drinking harvested rainwater will likely prevent most of the local fluoride exposure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil)

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7 pages, 874 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Occurrence of Metal Contaminants in United States Public Water Systems in 2013–2015

by Alesha K. Thompson, Michele M. Monti and Matthew O. Gribble

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(15), 7884; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18157884 - 26 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1984

Abstract

The United States Environmental Protection Agency monitors contaminants in drinking water and consolidates these results in the National Contaminant Occurrence Database. Our objective was to assess the co-occurrence of metal contaminants (total chromium, hexavalent chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, and strontium) over the years 2013–2015. We used multilevel Tobit regression models with state and water system-level random intercepts to predict the geometric mean of each contaminant occurring in each public water system, and estimated the pairwise correlations of predicted water system-specific geometric means across contaminants. We found that the geometric means of vanadium and total chromium were positively correlated both in large public water systems (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) and in small public water systems (r = 0.47, p < 0.01). Further research may address the cumulative human health impacts of ingesting more than one contaminant in drinking water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental and Social Pathways Leading to Human Exposure to Geogenic Contaminants in Water and Soil)

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