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Sobhanikia M, Nikniaz L, Shakerkhatibi M, Vaezi Hir A, Gilani N, Mosaferi M. Evaluating Heavy Metals in Human Breast Milk: a Cross-Sectional Study from Mining and Agricultural Areas in Northwestern Iran. Biol Trace Elem Res 2024:10.1007/s12011-024-04249-7. [PMID: 38831177 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-024-04249-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the levels of heavy metals in the breast milk of women residing in the mining and agricultural areas of East Azerbaijan province in Iran. This cross-sectional study analyzed 68 lactating mothers from mining (n = 28) and agricultural (n = 40) areas of East Azerbaijan province in Iran between June 2022 and March 2023. The study used an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to measure the concentrations of heavy metals, including arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe). A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ) was used to collect data on the dietary and sociodemographic characteristics of the mothers. Although the concentration of arsenic (As) was below the limit of detection (LOD), the mean concentrations of chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) were 1.11, 0.87, and 13.25 mg/L in agricultural areas and 0.83, 0.93, and 11.35 mg/L in mining areas, respectively. The concentrations of Cr (p < 0.001) and Fe (p = 0.019) were significantly higher in the breast milk of women residing in agricultural areas. However, the concentration of Cu was significantly higher (p = 0.085) in the breast milk of women living in mining areas. Additionally, lactation age had a significant effect on Cu levels (p = 0.015), with a negative coefficient of -0.011. The study indicates that the levels of heavy metals in breast milk can be influenced by the exposure to pesticides, fertilizers, volcanic soil, and disparities in access to post-natal care and iron supplements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Sobhanikia
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Leila Nikniaz
- Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Shakerkhatibi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Abdorreza Vaezi Hir
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Neda Gilani
- Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mosaferi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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Papazotos P, Vasileiou E, Vasilakis S, Perraki M. A novel hydrogeochemical approach to delineate the origin of potentially toxic elements in groundwater: Sophisticated molar ratios as environmental tracers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-27721-8. [PMID: 37209349 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27721-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence, mobilization, and origin of Potentially Toxic Eelements (PTEs) in the environment is always a difficult research question that has not been fully addressed to date; solving this problem would be a major achievement for environmental science and pollution research, a significant scientific breakthrough, and an important contribution to environmental analysis and monitoring. The lack of a holistic methodology that uses chemical analysis to determine the origin of each PTE in the environment is the main motivation for this project. Therefore, the hypothesis tested here is to develop a scientific approach applied to each PTE to determine whether its origin is geogenic (i.e., water-rock interaction with dominance of silicate or carbonate mineral phases) or anthropogenic (i.e., agricultural practices, wastewater, industrial activities). A total of 47 groundwater samples from the Psachna Basin in central Euboea, Greece, were used and plotted on geochemical mole ratio diagrams (i.e., Si/NO3 vs. Cl/HCO3) and used to perform a robust geochemical modeling analysis. The proposed method showed that elevated groundwater concentrations of various PTEs in groundwater were mainly related to intensive fertilization (e.g., Cr, U), water-rock interaction (e.g., Ni), and saltwater intrusion. (i.e., As, Se). This work highlights that a comprehensive framework with sophisticated molar ratios combined with modern statistical methods, multi-isotope signatures, and geochemical modeling could provide answers to unresolved scientific questions about the origin of PTEs in water resources and improve environmental resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Papazotos
- School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Division of Geo-sciences, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou St, 15773, Zografou, Greece.
- School of Engineering, Department of Mineral Resources Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50100, Kozani, Greece.
| | - Eleni Vasileiou
- School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Division of Geo-sciences, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou St, 15773, Zografou, Greece
| | - Stylianos Vasilakis
- School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Division of Geo-sciences, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou St, 15773, Zografou, Greece
| | - Maria Perraki
- School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Division of Geo-sciences, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou St, 15773, Zografou, Greece
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Goswami R, Bhagat C, Lollen I, Neog N, Barache UB, Thakur R, Mahlknecht J, Kumar M. Potential arsenic-chromium-lead Co-contamination in the hilly terrain of Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India: Genesis and health perspective. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 323:138067. [PMID: 36812990 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In the recent times, multi-metal co-contamination in the groundwater of various parts of the globe has emerged as a challenging environmental health problems. While arsenic (As) has been reported with high fluoride and at times with uranium; and Cr & Pb are also found in aquifers under high anthropogenic impacts. The present work probably for the first time traces the As-Cr-Pb co-contamination in the pristine aquifers of a hilly terrain that are under relatively less stress from the anthropogenic activities. Based on the analyses of twenty-two (n = 22) groundwater (GW) samples and six (n = 6) sediment samples, it was found that Cr being leached from the natural sources as evident from 100% of samples with dissolve Cr exceeding the prescribed drinking water limit. Generic plots suggests rock-water interaction as the major hydrogeological processes with mixed Ca2+-Na+-HCO3- type water. Wide range of pH suggests localized human interferences, as well as indicative of both calcite and silicate weathering processes. In general water samples were found high only with Cr and Fe, however all sediment samples were found to contain As-Cr-Pb. This implies that the groundwater is under-risk of co-contamination of highly toxic trio of As-Cr-Pb. Multivariate analyses indicate that the changing pH as the causative factor for Cr leaching into the groundwater. This is a new finding for a pristine hilly aquifers, and we suspect such condition may also be present in other parts of globe, and thus precautionary investigations are needed to prevent this catastrophic situation to arise, and to alert the community in advance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritusmita Goswami
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati- 781013, Assam, India.
| | - Chandrashekhar Bhagat
- Civil Engineering Discipline, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382355, India; Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun-248007, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Igo Lollen
- Dept of Environmental Science, Royal Global University, Guwahati-781035, Assam, India
| | - Nikita Neog
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati- 781013, Assam, India
| | - Umesh B Barache
- School of Chemical Sciences, Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University, Solapur 413255, Maharashtra, India
| | - Ritu Thakur
- North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management, Tezpur-784027, Assam, India
| | - Jurgen Mahlknecht
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Manish Kumar
- Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun-248007, Uttarakhand, India; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
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Geo-Environmental Approaches for the Analysis and Assessment of Groundwater Resources at the Catchment Scale. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14071085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Groundwater resources constitute nearly one-third of the globe’s freshwater resources [...]
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Health Risk of the Shallow Groundwater and Its Suitability for Drinking Purpose in Tongchuan, China. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13223256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Studying the quality and health risks of groundwater is of great significance for sustainable water resources utilization, especially in arid and semi-arid areas around the world. The current study is carried out to evaluate the quality and potential health risks of groundwater in the Tongchuan area on the Loess Plateau, northwest China. Water quality index (WQI) and hydrochemical correlation analysis were implemented to understand the status of groundwater quality. Daily average exposure dosages through the oral and dermal contact exposure pathways were taken into consideration to calculate the health risks to the human body. Additionally, graphical approaches such as Piper diagram, Durov diagram and GIS mapping were used to help better understand the results of this study. The WQI approach showed that 77.1% of the samples were of excellent quality. The most significant parameters affecting water quality were NO3−, F−, and Cr6+. The health risk assessment results showed that 27.1% and 54.2% of the samples lead to non-carcinogenic risks through oral intake for adults and children, respectively. In contrast, 12.5% of the groundwater samples would result in carcinogenic risks to the residents. This study showed that the WQI method needs to be supplemented by a health risk evaluation to obtain comprehensive results for groundwater quality protection and management in the Tongchuan area.
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