OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (9): 1244-1249.

• Treatise • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Level and health risk assessment of disinfection byproducts in drinking water in urban area of Wuhu City in 2024

SHEN Denghui1, DING Liujun1, XU Min1, CHANG Qian1, SONG Jian2   

  1. 1. Wuhu Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Wuhu,Anhui 241000,China
    2. Anhui Medical University,Hefei,Anhui 230032,China
  • Received:2025-08-05 Revised:2025-08-25 Online:2026-05-01 Published:2026-05-22

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the concentration levels and distribution characteristics of six disinfection byproducts(DBPs) in drinking water of urban area in Wuhu City,evaluate their potential health risks to the population. Methods Totally 100 water samples were collected from source water,terminal water(excluding secondary water supply),and secondary water supply during the dry season and rainy season in urban area of Wuhu City in 2024. Using WS/T 777-2021 Guidelines for Environmental Health Risk Assessment of Chemical Substances,the carcinogenic and non carcinogenic risks via oral exposure routes were calculated. Results Except for tribromomethane,all five DBPs were detected in drinking water of urban area in Wuhu City with concentrations below national standards. The tribromomethane was the predominant pollutant,while seasonal variations in contaminant levels and rankings were observed among other substances. The total carcinogenic risks of disinfection byproducts in drinking water of Wuhu City was 2.0×10-5-7.6×10-5 in dry season and 1.3×10-5-3.5×10-5 in rainy season,and the non-carcinogenic risk was 7.2×10-2-4.0×10-1. The carcinogenic risks were the highest during the dry season with trichloroacetic acid and dichlorodibromomethane,and during the rainy season with dichlorobromomethane and dichloroacetic acid,while the trichloromethane contributed the most to non carcinogenic risks. Conclusion The lifelong carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks posed by disinfection byproducts in drinking water of urban area in Wuhu City are within acceptable levels,and it is necessary to focus on the carcinogenic health risks of exposure to trichloroacetic acid and dichlorodibromomethane during the dry season,and dichlorobromomethane and dichloroacetic acid during the rainy season,to ensure the safety of drinking water for the population.

Key words: Drinking water, Disinfection byproducts, Trihalomethanes, Aloacetic acids, Carcinogenic risk, Non-carcinogenic risk

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