Trace metals pollution, distribution and associated health risks in the arid coastal aquifer, Hada Al-Sham and its vicinities, Saudi Arabia

Natarajan Rajmohan; Burhan A M Niyazi; Milad H Z Masoud

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134246

Trace metals pollution, distribution and associated health risks in the arid coastal aquifer, Hada Al-Sham and its vicinities, Saudi Arabia

Chemosphere. 2022 Jun:297:134246. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134246. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

Authors

Natarajan Rajmohan¹, Burhan A M Niyazi², Milad H Z Masoud³

Affiliations

¹ Water Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80200, Jeddah, 21598, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: rnatarajan@kau.edu.sa.
² Water Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80200, Jeddah, 21598, Saudi Arabia.
³ Water Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80200, Jeddah, 21598, Saudi Arabia; Hydrology Department, Desert Research Centre, 1 Mathaf Al-Mataria-Cairo, P. O. Box 11753, Cairo, Egypt.

PMID: 35259356
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134246

Abstract

Trace metals pollution, distribution and associated health risk were evaluated in the arid coastal aquifer, Hada Al-Sham, Western Saudi Arabia using an integrated approach namely heavy metal pollution index (HPI), contamination index (C_d), health risk assessment (HRA) model and multivariate statistical analysis. Groundwater samples (n = 47) were analysed for EC, pH, TDS, Ag, Al, B, Ba, Co, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn. Groundwater is mostly alkaline (72%) with high salinity (TDS >1500 mg/l, 77%). Average trace metals concentrations are in the dominance order of B > Cu > Al > Mo > Pb > V > Ba > Zn > Ni > Cr > Fe > Ag. Groundwater (100% wells) is unsafe for drinking based on V, Mo, Al concentrations followed by the Pb (96%), B (91%), Ni (72%), Cr (23%), Cu (17%) and Ag (6%), which exceeded the WHO and USEPA prescribed limits. Results of HPI and C_d also implied the high contamination and enhanced level of metals in the groundwater. Chronic daily intake (CDI_oral), hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard quotient (THQ) were employed for health risk assessment. HQ values reveal that 100% (Al, Mo), 85% (Cu), 21% (B), 13% (Cr) and 6% (Pb) of samples exceeded the recommended limit (>1), which can cause an adverse health risk to adult and children. Pearson correlation, principal components analyses, and Hierarchical cluster analysis justified that aluminium silicates weathering and Fe oxides/hydroxides dissolution (Pb, Cr, Ni, Fe, Ag, Al, Mo and V), evaporation, anthropogenic input (Cu and B) and dissolution of carbonate and sulphate minerals (Ba and Zn) controlled the water chemistry in this aquifer. This study recommends a proper treatment of the groundwater to be safe for various uses. The comprehensive approach, employed here, is applicable to any arid aquifers worldwide.

Keywords: Groundwater; Health risk; Multivariate statistics; Pollution indexes; Saudi Arabia; Trace metals.

MeSH terms

Adult
Child
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Groundwater*
Humans
Lead / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Risk Assessment
Saudi Arabia
Trace Elements* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Trace Elements
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Lead