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ABSTRACT
Enrichment of trace elements in groundwater poses considerable risks to human health. The concentrations of seven trace elements (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in 34 samples of shallow groundwater from the study area were estimated. We assessed the concentrations of the trace elements and health risks with statistical analysis and the US Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) model. The results showed that the mean concentrations of trace elements decreased as follows: Mn > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Cd > Pb. Apart from Mn at one sampling point, the concentrations of all trace elements were below the guideline values of the World Health Organization for drinking water. Correlation and cluster analysis indicated that the trace elements fell into groups, with Ni and Cu in one group, and Mn, Zn, and Cd in another, which suggested that the trace elements grouped together had similar sources. The total non-carcinogenic risk values ranged from 8.52 × 10−4 to 1.27 × 10−1. The total carcinogenic risk caused by Cr and Cd averaged 1.62 × 10−6, which exceeded the acceptable level of 1 × 10−6 recommended by the USEPA. The carcinogenic risk of Cr accounted for 75.93% of Rtotal.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for providing numerous valuable comments and suggestions that significantly improved the article.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41773100, 41373095), the Scientific Research Project of the Wanbei Coal-Electricity Group Co., Ltd. (2017), the Scientific Platform Projects of Suzhou University (2016ykf13), and the Fund for Integration of Cloud Computing and Big Data, Innovation of Science and Education (2017A10014).
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.