2024 : 12 : 8
Ali Kazemi

Ali Kazemi

Academic rank: Associate Professor
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0618-6435
Education: PhD.
ScopusId: 57197913901
HIndex:
Faculty: Agriculture and Environment
Address: Arak University
Phone:

Research

Title
Spatial health risk assessments of nickel in the groundwater sources of a mining‑impacted area
Type
JournalPaper
Keywords
Groundwater Vulnerable consumers Hazard quotient Risk assessment South Khorasan Non-carcinogenic risk
Year
2024
Journal Scientific Reports
DOI
Researchers Fatemeh Salehi ، Milad Esmaeilbeigi ، Ali Kazemi ، Saeed Sharafi ، Zahra Sahebi ، Ali Ghanavati Asl

Abstract

Mining activities have increased the potential risks of metal pollution to the groundwater resources in arid areas across the globe. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the health risk associated with nickel (Ni) in the groundwater sources of a mining-impacted area, South Khorasan, Eastern Iran. A total of 110 stations were included in the study, comprising 62 wells, 40 qanats, and 8 springs in summer, 2020. Initially, the collected samples were tested for temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC). Subsequently, the samples were filtered and treated with nitric acid (HNO3) to measure the concentration of Ni using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Hazard quotient (HQ) and non-carcinogenic risk assessments were employed to evaluate the potential risks of Ni to the inhabitants. The findings revealed that the concentration of Ni ranged from 0.02 to 132.39 μg l−1, and only two stations exhibited Ni concentrations above the WHO standards (20 μg l−1). The results demonstrated that 98.21% of the sampled locations had HQ values below one, indicating negligible risk, while 1.78% of the stations exhibited HQ values of one or higher, representing a high non-carcinogenic risk for water consumers. Overall, the concentration of nickel in the groundwater of South Khorasan exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) limit solely in the Halvan station, posing a non-carcinogenic risk for the residents in that area, and therefore, additional efforts should be made to provide healthier groundwater to consumers in this region.