Volume 10, Issue 3 (7-2025)
CJHR 2025, 10(3): 155-170 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Khodajou R, Jaafari J, Vatani J, Ashrafi S D. Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Tap Water from Northern Iran Rural Areas via USEPA Model. CJHR 2025; 10 (3) :155-170
URL: http://cjhr.gums.ac.ir/article-1-416-en.html
URL: http://cjhr.gums.ac.ir/article-1-416-en.html
1- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Research Center of Health and Environment, School of Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
2- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Research Center of Health and Environment, School of Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran ,d_ashrafi@yahoo.com
2- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Research Center of Health and Environment, School of Health, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran ,
Abstract: (308 Views)
Background: Chronic exposure to heavy metals (HMs) in drinking water poses a significant environmental risk globally and may have serious implications for human health.
Objectives: This study focused on assessing the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks associated with six heavy metals in the Anzali lagoon area of northern Iran.
Methods: We evaluated the average concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in tap drinking water collected from eleven rural communities. Additionally, we measured pH, total dissolved solids, and temperature. The health risks related to HM ingestion were assessed for both adults and children based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. A total of ninety water samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were evaluated through the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively.
Results: The average level of Pb exceeded the permissible limits set by WHO and Iranian national standards in five communities, affecting 48.8% of the samples. Furthermore, one community had Pb levels surpassing U.S. EPA standards in 22.2% of its samples. The concentrations of other heavy metals were within acceptable limits established by the U.S. EPA, WHO, and Iranian standards.
Conclusion: The carcinogenic risk of heavy metal ingestion for both adults and children was estimated to be between 10^-6 and 10^-4, indicating a generally tolerable cancer risk. However, this risk was notably higher in children compared to adults. The non-carcinogenic risk associated with selected heavy metals was below the safe limit (<1) across all communities for both age groups. Nonetheless, one community's concentrations of heavy metals and associated non-carcinogenic risks warrant further investigation, particularly concerning children's exposure.
Objectives: This study focused on assessing the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks associated with six heavy metals in the Anzali lagoon area of northern Iran.
Methods: We evaluated the average concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in tap drinking water collected from eleven rural communities. Additionally, we measured pH, total dissolved solids, and temperature. The health risks related to HM ingestion were assessed for both adults and children based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines. A total of ninety water samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were evaluated through the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively.
Results: The average level of Pb exceeded the permissible limits set by WHO and Iranian national standards in five communities, affecting 48.8% of the samples. Furthermore, one community had Pb levels surpassing U.S. EPA standards in 22.2% of its samples. The concentrations of other heavy metals were within acceptable limits established by the U.S. EPA, WHO, and Iranian standards.
Conclusion: The carcinogenic risk of heavy metal ingestion for both adults and children was estimated to be between 10^-6 and 10^-4, indicating a generally tolerable cancer risk. However, this risk was notably higher in children compared to adults. The non-carcinogenic risk associated with selected heavy metals was below the safe limit (<1) across all communities for both age groups. Nonetheless, one community's concentrations of heavy metals and associated non-carcinogenic risks warrant further investigation, particularly concerning children's exposure.
Keywords: heavy metal, health risk, drinking water, drinking water, carcinogenic risk, non-carcinogenic risk
Article Type: Original Contributions |
Subject:
Environmental Health
Received: 2025/03/19 | Accepted: 2025/05/20 | Published: 2025/07/19
Received: 2025/03/19 | Accepted: 2025/05/20 | Published: 2025/07/19
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Copyright © The Author(s);
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By-NC), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Contact Information
