OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 100-106.

• Treatise • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Distribution characteristics and health risk assessment of 11 metals and metal-like metals in drinking water in Huanggang City from 2020 to 2024

ZHENG Yi, REN Ying, LIU Xueqin(), WANG Chihua, WANG Fen   

  1. Huanggang Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Huanggang,Hubei 438000,China
  • Received:2025-05-13 Revised:2025-05-26 Online:2026-01-01 Published:2026-02-03

Abstract:

Objective To understand the distribution characteristics of 11 metals and metal-like substances in drinking water in Huanggang City,assess their health risks,and provide scientific basis for the supervision of drinking water safety in Huanggang City. Methods From 2020 to 2024,a total of 3 850 drinking water samples were collected from drinking water quality monitoring sites in 10 counties of Huanggang City,and the concentrations of arsenic,cadmium,chromium(hexavalent),lead,mercury,selenium,aluminum,iron,manganese,copper and zinc in the water samples were detected. The health risk model recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency(US EPA) was used to evaluate the health risks of 11 metals and metal-like substances through drinking water. Results From 2020 to 2024,the concentrations of 11 metals and metal-like substances in drinking water in Huanggang City ranged from ND to 1.34 mg/L,the detection rate was 0.3% to 28.3%,and the qualification rate was 99.6% to 100.0%. There were statistically significant differences in the concentrations of 11 metals and metal-like substances in different years(P<0.01),among which arsenic,iron,copper,hexavalent chromium and manganese showed an overall increasing trend. The concentrations of arsenic,aluminum,iron and zinc in rural drinking water were higher than those in urban drinking water,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.01). General exposure level and high exposure level total hazard quotient(THQ) of 11 metals and metal-like substances were 1.76×10-2 and 2.12×10-1,respectively,both lower than 1. The general exposure level and high exposure level total carcinogenic risk(TCR) were 1.82×10-5 and 1.70×10-4,respectively,with TCR>1×10-4 for high exposure level. There were significant differences in THQ and TCR among different years,regions and populations(all P<0.01). With the change of years,the general exposure levels THQ and TCR remained stable,while the high exposure levels THQ and TCR decreased first and then increased. The general exposure level of THQ and various exposure level of TCR in urban water were higher than those in rural water,while the high exposure level of THQ was lower than that in rural water. Children aged 0-5 years had the highest health risk. Hexavalent chromium and arsenic were the main contributing metals to health risks in different regions and populations. Conclusion The pollution degree of 11 metals and metal-like metals in drinking water in Huanggang City is relatively low,which meets the national health standard. The THQ is within the acceptable range,and the TCR of high exposure level exceeds the recommended value. Relevant departments need to focus on the health risks caused by 0-5 years old children ingesting hexavalent chromium and arsenic through drinking water.

Key words: Drinking water, Metal and metal-like, Health risk assessment

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