IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i16p7107-d1459200.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Review of the Most Concerning Chemical Contaminants in Drinking Water for Human Health

Author

Listed:
  • Yasemin Jurczynski

    (Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK)

  • Robson Passos

    (Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
    Environmental Management Coordination, Environmental Technologies and Bioprocesses Research Group, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pernambuco, Recife 50740-545, Brazil)

  • Luiza C. Campos

    (Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK)

Abstract

Chemical contaminants in drinking water, including arsenic, nitrate, and fluoride, pose significant health risks, particularly in low-income countries with inadequate water management infrastructure. This study aims to identify the most hazardous chemical contaminants, evaluate global drinking water quality, and assess health impacts based on a comprehensive literature review guided by the PRISMA method. The findings revealed that arsenic concentrations in Romania, Pakistan, and India exceed the WHO and USEPA safety thresholds, with maximum levels reaching 130.3 µg/L. Nitrate levels in India and Morocco were found to be as high as 844 mg/L and 270.1 mg/L, respectively, far surpassing safety standards. Fluoride contamination in Pakistan reached 30 mg/L, well above the recommended limits. These contaminants are primarily sourced from industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and improper waste disposal. The study highlights significant regional disparities, with 67% of reports from low-income countries and 88% of contamination cases linked to groundwater sources. The results underscore the urgent need for improved monitoring, stricter regulations, and effective management strategies to mitigate health risks, particularly in vulnerable populations such as infants and children. Governments and international bodies must prioritise addressing chemical contamination to protect public health.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasemin Jurczynski & Robson Passos & Luiza C. Campos, 2024. "A Review of the Most Concerning Chemical Contaminants in Drinking Water for Human Health," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-25, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:7107-:d:1459200
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/7107/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/7107/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lobina Palamuleni & Mercy Akoth, 2015. "Physico-Chemical and Microbial Analysis of Selected Borehole Water in Mahikeng, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Linuz Aggeborn & Mattias Öhman, 2021. "The Effects of Fluoride in Drinking Water," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(2), pages 465-491.
    3. Love Kumar & Ramna Kumari & Avinash Kumar & Imran Aziz Tunio & Claudio Sassanelli, 2023. "Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring in Pakistan: A Comprehensive Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-38, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Amitrajeet Batabyal & Hamid Beladi, 2024. "Decentralized vs. Centralized Water Pollution Cleanup in the Ganges in a Model with Three Cities," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 383-394, June.
    2. Wang, Dongqin & Shen, Yanni, 2022. "Sanitation and work time: Evidence from the toilet revolution in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Akebe Luther King Abia & Lisa Schaefer & Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa & Wouter Le Roux, 2017. "Abundance of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence-Associated Genes in Well and Borehole Water Used for Domestic Purposes in a Peri-Urban Community of South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-11, March.
    4. Ranju Kumari Rathour & Deepak Sakhuja & Arvind Kumar Bhatt & Ravi Kant Bhatia, 2022. "Municipal Wastewater Connection for Water Crisis and Jaundice Outbreaks in Shimla City: Present Findings and Future Solutions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Batabyal, Amitrajeet A. & Yoo, Seung Jick, 2024. "Heterogeneity in population and values and water pollution clean-up: The Ganges in Kanpur and Varanasi, India," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1527-1534.
    6. Banu Preethi Gopu & Liane B. Azevedo & Ralph M. Duckworth & Murali K. P. Subramanian & Sherley John & Fatemeh Vida Zohoori, 2022. "The Relationship between Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes from Gestation to Adulthood—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. John Ogony Odiyo & Rachel Makungo, 2018. "Chemical and Microbial Quality of Groundwater in Siloam Village, Implications to Human Health and Sources of Contamination," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-12, February.
    8. Natasha Potgieter & Simbarashe Karambwe & Lutendo Sylvia Mudau & Tobias Barnard & Afsatou Traore, 2020. "Human Enteric Pathogens in Eight Rivers Used as Rural Household Drinking Water Sources in the Northern Region of South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-15, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:7107-:d:1459200. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.