Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 18;24(1):3529.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20776-3.

Spatial and temporal distribution of arsenic concentration in rural drinking water and health risk assessment in Northern China from 2013 to 2022: a case study of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Wen-Yu Zhang  1 , Xiang-Nan Zhang  2 , Chen-Guang Zhang  2 , Xin-Rui Jia  1 , Huan Li  1 , Xuan-Zhi Yue  1 , Duo-Duo Wu  3 , Jia-Ke Zhu  1 , Wen-Qian Zhang  1   2 , Yu-Han Qin  4 , Yao-Chun Fan  5   6   7
Affiliations

Spatial and temporal distribution of arsenic concentration in rural drinking water and health risk assessment in Northern China from 2013 to 2022: a case study of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Wen-Yu Zhang et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: By monitoring arsenic levels in rural drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 2013 to 2022 and evaluating their health risks, this study provides a basis for further developing strategies to promote public health.

Methods: One stable centralized water supply point was randomly selected in each township of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. One finished water sample and 1-3 tap water samples were collected at each supply point. Water samples were collected once during the dry season (May) and once during the rainy season (August-September). Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare arsenic concentrations in drinking water from different types of water sources, and Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare arsenic concentrations in drinking water across different years. Environmental health risk assessment was conducted using the health risk assessment model recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Results: Overall, arsenic concentrations in rural drinking water were higher in the central-western part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region compared to the eastern part. From 2013 to 2022, there was a notable decreasing trend in arsenic concentrations in rural drinking water, with over 98% of water samples meeting arsenic standards by 2022. During 2013-2019, arsenic concentrations in drinking water sourced from groundwater were consistently higher than those from surface water sources (P < 0.05). Hazard quotient (HQ) values for the entire population were below 1, and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) values exceeded 1 × 10- 6. Sensitivity analysis indicated that drinking water arsenic concentration contributed the most to health risks for the population.

Conclusion: During 2013-2022, through concerted efforts by the government and the people, excessive arsenic levels in rural drinking water have been significantly reduced, resulting in decreased health risks for the population. However, some carcinogenic risks still exist.Therefore, the next critical step in improving water quality in the region involves further optimizing methods such as coagulation, adsorption, or ion exchange to remove arsenic from drinking water.

Keywords: Arsenic; Drinking water; Health risk assessment; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Monitoring sites of rural drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Spatiotemporal distribution of arsenic in rural drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region over the past 10 years
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Changes in the rate of arsenic exceedance in rural drinking water in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region over 10 years
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Sensitivity analysis of risk models for arsenic exposure from drinking water via oral ingestion across different population groups
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hughes Michael F, et al. Arsenic exposure and toxicology: a historical perspective.Toxicological sciences. Official J Soc Toxicol. 2011;123(2):305–32. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rahman MS, Reza AHMS, Siddique MAB, et al. Accumulation of arsenic and other metals in soil and human consumable foods of Meherpur district, southwestern Bangladesh, and associated health risk assessment. Environ Sci Eur. 2023;35:47. 10.1186/s12302-023-00751-2.
    1. Muneeb U, Rehman R, Khan A, Khan W, Qamar A, Arafah A, Ahmad A, Ahmad R, Akhter. Jörg Rinklebe, Parvaiz Ahmad,Fate of arsenic in living systems: Implications for sustainable and safe food chains,Journal of Hazardous Materials,Volume 417,2021,126050,ISSN 0304–3894,10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126050 - PubMed
    1. Nyachoti S, Godebo TR, Okwori OF, et al. Occurrence and spatial distribution of lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, and Uranium in soils of Southern Louisiana. Water Air Soil Pollut. 2023;234:708. 10.1007/s11270-023-06716-8.
    1. Das A, Joardar M, Chowdhury NR, et al. Arsenic toxicity in livestock growing in arsenic endemic and control sites of West Bengal: risk for human and environment. Environ Geochem Health. 2021;43:3005–25. 10.1007/s10653-021-00808-2. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources