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Co-occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in the groundwater of Punjab, Pakistan: source discrimination and health risk assessment

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Abstract

The present study discusses elevated groundwater arsenic (As) and fluoride (F−) concentrations in Mailsi, Punjab, Pakistan, and links these elevated concentrations to health risks for the local residents. The results indicate that groundwater samples of two areas of Mailsi, Punjab were severely contaminated with As (5.9–507 ppb) and F− (5.5–29.6 ppm), as these values exceeded the permissible limits of World Health Organization (10 ppb for As and 1.5 ppm for F−). The groundwater samples were categorized by redox state. The major process controlling the As levels in groundwater was the adsorption of As onto PO4 3− at high pH. High alkalinity and low Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations promoted the higher F− and As concentrations in the groundwater. A positive correlation was observed between F− and As concentrations (r = 0.37; n = 52) and other major ions found in the groundwater of the studied area. The mineral saturation indices calculated by PHREEQC 2.1 suggested that a majority of samples were oversaturated with calcite and fluorite, leading to the dissolution of fluoride minerals at alkaline pH. Local inhabitants exhibited arsenicosis and fluorosis after exposure to environmental concentration doses of As and F−. Estimated daily intake (EDI) and target hazard quotient (THQ) highlighted the risk factors borne by local residents. Multivariate statistical analysis further revealed that both geologic origins and anthropogenic activities contributed to As and F− contamination in the groundwater. We propose that pollutants originate, in part, from coal combusted at brick factories, and agricultural activities. Once generated, these pollutants were mobilized by the alkaline nature of the groundwater.

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Abbreviations

As:

Arsenic

DO:

Dissolved oxygen

EDI:

Estimated daily intake

F− :

Flouride

SAR:

Sodium adsorption ratio

TDS:

Total dissolved solids

THQ:

Target hazard quotient

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Geological Survey of Pakistan for providing technical support and Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad for providing us the research facilities. We wish to thank the people of Tehsil Mailsi, villagers and households visited for their cooperation at the time of sampling. Dr. William N. Wheeler, Boojum Research Ltd. is acknowledged for assistance with the English edition and critical suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Atta Rasool & Tangfu Xiao

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Atta Rasool

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Haripur, Haripur, 22620, Pakistan

    Zenab Tariq Baig

  4. Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Sajid Masood

  5. Institute of Surface Earth System Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Khan M. G. Mostofa

  6. Department of Soil Science & SWC, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan

    Muhammad Iqbal

  7. Present address: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Sajid Masood

Authors
  1. Atta Rasool
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  2. Tangfu Xiao
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  3. Zenab Tariq Baig
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  4. Sajid Masood
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  5. Khan M. G. Mostofa
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  6. Muhammad Iqbal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sajid Masood.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Highlights

• Elevated concentrations of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F−) in the groundwater of Tehsil Mailsi, Punjab, Pakistan are responsible for contamination.

• Simultaneous occurrence of As and F− in ground water is common in arid and semi-arid regions.

• Estimated daily intake and associating human health risk were pronounced under the simultaneous occurrence of As and F− in groundwater. Further, their health implications have been discussed with global perspectives.

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Rasool, A., Xiao, T., Baig, Z.T. et al. Co-occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in the groundwater of Punjab, Pakistan: source discrimination and health risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 19729–19746 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5159-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5159-2

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