Health risk assessment in using groundwater for drinking and domestic purposes in the Con Dao District, Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province

Abstract

Groundwater is the primary source of supply for Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province for many purposes such as drinking, domestic, irrigation, and production. In this study, the Hazard Index (HI) is used to assess health risks in using groundwater for drinking and domestic purposes in the Con Dao district. Preliminary assessment selected two main parameters (Pb2+ and Fetotal) for the calculation of the Hazard Index (HI) in 13 parameters (pH, COD, TDS, TH, Cl-, N-NH4+, N-NO2-, N-NO3-, F-, SO42-, Pb, Zn, Fe) from 23 monitoring wells in the dry season and the wet season in 2017. The results show that in the dry season, 17,39% of wells have the concentrations of Pb that exceed the National technical regulation on Domestic Water Quality, 65,22% of wells have Fe concentrations that exceed this regulation. In the wet season, the concentration of Pb and Fe exceed the standards account for 4% and 69,57% of the wells, respectively. The HI of Pb and Fe in the dry season for children is greater than 1 at 1 and 4 monitoring wells, accounts for 4% and 17,39%, respectively. In the wet season, 8,7% of wells have HIFe > 1 for both children and adults. The research results provide more information about the current situation of Pb and Fe pollution in groundwater and its potential effects on the health of people living in Con Dao district.