Fluoride Action Network

home // News // Groundwater nitrate and fluoride profiles, sources and health risk assessment in the coal mining areas of Salt Range, Punjab Pakistan //

Groundwater nitrate and fluoride profiles, sources and health risk assessment in the coal mining areas of Salt Range, Punjab Pakistan

Source: Environmental Geochemistry and Health | Authors: Masood N, Hudson-Edwards KA, Farooqi A.
Posted on May 26th, 2021
Location: Pakistan

 

Abstract

To assess the loading profiles of groundwater nitrate (NO3–) and fluoride (F–), their spatial distributions, geochemistry and associated health risks were determined for 131 groundwater samples from eastern (ESR), central (CSR) and Trans-Indus Salt Ranges (TSR) in Pakistan. Groundwater NO3– concentrations were 0.2–308 mg/L (mean 59 mg/L) in ESR, 2.7–203 mg/L (mean 73 mg/L) in CSR and 1.1–259 mg/L (mean 69 mg/L) in the TSR. Forty-one %, 57% and 36% of the ESR, CSR and TSR samples, respectively, exceeded the WHO and Pak-NEQs permissible limit of 50 mg/L NO3–. Likewise, groundwater F– concentrations ranged from 0.1–1.8 mg/L (mean 0.6 mg/L), 0.1–2.7 mg/L (mean 0.9 mg/L) and 0.3–2.5 mg/L (mean 1.6 mg/L) mg/L in the ESR, CSR and TSR sites, respectively. In this case, 3%, 17% and 27% of the ESR, CSR and TSR samples, respectively, exceeded the WHO and Pak-NEQs permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L F. Oxidation of coal and coal waste resulted in the release of NO3– to groundwater. By contrast, enrichment of F– in groundwater was due to dissolution and cation exchange processes. Elevated values of the Higher Pollution Index (PI) and Health Risk Index (HRI) reflect a non-acceptable carcinogenic risk for drinking water NO3– and F– which should be addressed on a priority basis to protect human health.

*Original abstract online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10653-021-00987-y

Availability of data and material

Supplementary data are provided along with the manuscript.

References

  1. Ako, A. A., Eyong, G. E. T., Shimada, J., Koike, K., Hosono, T., Ichiyanagi, K., et al. (2014). Nitrate contamination of groundwater in two areas of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (Banana Plain and Mount Cameroon area). Applied Water Science, 4(2), 99–113.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  2. Akpoveta, O. V., Osakwe, S. A., Okoh, B. E., & Otuya, B. O. (2010). Physicochemical characteristics and levels of some heavy metals in soils around metal scrap dumps in some parts of Delta State, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management. 14(4).

  3. APHA. (2005). Standard methods for the examination of water wastewater. 21, 258–259.

  4. Bailey, B., Smith, L., Blowes, D., Ptacek, C., Smith, L., & Sego, D. (2013). Applied Geochemistry The Diavik Waste Rock Project: Persistence of contaminants from blasting agents in waste rock effluent. Applied Geochemistry, 36, 256–270.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  5. Batool, A., Aziz, S., & Imad, S. (2018). Physico-chemical quality of drinking water and human health: a study of Salt Range Pakistan. International Journal of Hydrology, 2(6), 668–677.

    Google Scholar

  6. Bodrud-Doza, M., Islam, A. T., Ahmed, F., Das, S., Saha, N., & Rahman, M. S. (2016). Characterization of groundwater quality using water evaluation indices, multivariate statistics and geostatistics in central Bangladesh. Water Science, 30(1), 19–40.

    Article  Google Scholar

  7. Bosman, C. (2009). The hidden dragon: nitrate pollution from open-pit mines–a case study from the limpopo province, South Africa. Carin Bosman Sustainable Solutions Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa. 26442.

  8. Chen, J., Wu, H., Qian, H., & Gao, Y. (2017). Assessing nitrate and fluoride contaminants in drinking water and their health risk of rural residents living in a semiarid region of Northwest China. Exposure Health, 9(3), 183–195.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  9. Daud, M., Nafees, M., Ali, S., Rizwan, M., Bajwa, R. A., Shakoor, M. B., et al. (2017). Drinking water quality status and contamination in Pakistan. BioMedical Research International. 2017.

  10. Derakhshani, R., Raoof, A., Mahvi, A. H., & Chatrouz, H. (2020). Similarities in the Fingerprints of Coal Mining Activities, High Ground Water Fluoride and Dental Fluorosis in Zarand District, Kerman Province. Iran. Fluoride, 53(2 Pt 1), 257–267.

    CAS  Google Scholar

  11. Endale, D. M., Potter, T. L., Strickland, T. C., & Bosch, D. D. (2017). Sediment-bound total organic carbon and total organic nitrogen losses from conventional and strip tillage cropping systems. Soil Tillage Research, 171, 25–34.

    Article  Google Scholar

  12. Ghazi, S., & Mountney, N. P. (2011). Petrography and provenance of the Early Permian Fluvial Warchha Sandstone, Salt Range. Pakistan. Sedimentary Geology, 233(1–4), 88–110.

    Article  Google Scholar

  13. Guohua, L., Qiyan, F., Xiaoli, D., Yahong, C., Wenbo, L., Hui, W., et al. (2019). Geochemical characteristics of fluorine in coal within Xiangning mining area, China and associated mitigation countermeasures. Energy Exploration, 37(6), 1737–1751.

    Article  Google Scholar

  14. Hendry, M. J., Wassenaar, L. I., Barbour, S. L., Schabert, M. S., Birkham, T. K., Fedec, T., et al. (2018). Assessing the fate of explosives derived nitrate in mine waste rock dumps using the stable isotopes of oxygen and nitrogen. Science of the Total Environment, 640, 127–137.

    Article  Google Scholar

  15. Jahangir, M. M., Johnston, P., Khalil, M. I., & Richards, K. G. (2012). Linking hydrogeochemistry to nitrate abundance in groundwater in agricultural settings in Ireland. Journal of Hydrology, 448, 212–222.

    Article  Google Scholar

  16. Kanagaraj, G., & Elango, L. (2016). Hydrogeochemical processes and impact of tanning industries on groundwater quality in Ambur, Vellore district, Tamil Nadu. India. Environmental Science Pollution Research, 23(23), 24364–24383.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  17. Katz, B. G., Chelette, A. R., & Pratt, T. R. (2004). Use of chemical and isotopic tracers to assess nitrate contamination and ground-water age, Woodville Karst Plain, USA. Journal of Hydrology, 289(1–4), 36–61.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  18. Kuter, N., Dilaver, Z., Gül, E. J. I. J., & o. M., Reclamation, . (2014). Determination of suitable plant species for reclamation at an abandoned coal mine area. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation Environmental Earth Sciences, 28(5), 268–276.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  19. Li, X., Wu, P., Han, Z., & Shi, J. (2016). Sources, distributions of fluoride in waters and its influencing factors from an endemic fluorosis region in central Guizhou. China. Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(11), 981.

    Article  Google Scholar

  20. Long, J., & Luo, K. (2020). Elements in surface and well water from the central North China Plain: Enrichment patterns, origins and health risk assessment. Environmental Pollution, 258, 113725.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  21. Luo, W., Gao, X., & Zhang, X. (2018). Geochemical processes controlling the groundwater chemistry and fluoride contamination in the Yuncheng Basin, China—An area with complex hydrogeochemical conditions. PLoS ONE, 13(7), e0199082.

    Article  Google Scholar

  22. Mahmood, F. N., Barbour, S. L., Kennedy, C., & Hendry, M. J. (2017). Nitrate release from waste rock dumps in the Elk Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Science of the Total Environment, 605, 915–928.

    Article  Google Scholar

  23. Malek Mohammadi, T., Derakhshani, R., Tavallaie, M., Raoof, M., Hasheminejad, N., & Haghdoost, A. A. (2017). Analysis of ground water fluoride content and its association with prevalence of fluorosis in Zarand/Kerman:(using GIS). Journal of Dental Biomaterials, 4(2), 379.

    Google Scholar

  24. Malik, A. I. (1989). Geodynamics and coal deposits of Pakistan. The Geological Bulletin of Punjab University. 24.

  25. Masilionyt?, L., Maikšt?nien?, S., Velykis, A., & Satkus, A. (2014). Agroecosystems to decrease diffuse nitrogen pollution in northern Lithuania. Journal of Environmental Engineering Landscape Management, 22(3), 194–207.

    Article  Google Scholar

  26. Nephalama, A., & Muzerengi, C. (2016). Assessment of the influence of coal mining on groundwater quality: Case of Masisi Village in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Proceedings of the Freiberg/Germany, Mining Meets Water—Conflicts Solutions , Leipzig, Germany (pp. 11–15).

  27. Nyilitya, B., Mureithi, S., & Boeckx, P. (2020). Tracking Sources and Fate of Groundwater Nitrate in Kisumu City and Kano Plains, Kenya. Water, Air Soil Pollution: Focus, 12(2), 401.

    Google Scholar

  28. Ogrinc, N., Tamše, S., Zavadlav, S., Vrzel, J., & Jin, L. (2019). Evaluation of geochemical processes and nitrate pollution sources at the Ljubljansko polje aquifer (Slovenia): A stable isotope perspective. Science of the Total Environment, 646, 1588–1600.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  29. Parvaiz, A., Khattak, J. A., Hussain, I., Masood, N., Javed, T., & Farooqi, A. (2020). Salinity enrichment, sources and its contribution to elevated groundwater arsenic and fluoride levels in Rachna Doab, Punjab Pakistan: Stable isotope (?2H and ?18O) approach as an evidence. Environmental Pollution, 115710.

  30. Ramaroson, V., Randriantsivery, J. R., Rajaobelison, J., Fareze, L. P., Rakotomalala, C. U., Razafitsalama, F. A., et al. (2020). Nitrate contamination of groundwater in Ambohidrapeto–Antananarivo-Madagascar using hydrochemistry and multivariate analysis. Applied Water Science, 10(7), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar

  31. Ravindra, K., & Mor, S. (2019). Distribution and health risk assessment of arsenic and selected heavy metals in Groundwater of Chandigarh, India. Environmental Pollution, 250, 820–830.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  32. Rawat, K. S., Jeyakumar, L., Singh, S. K., & Tripathi, V. K. (2019). Appraisal of groundwater with special reference to nitrate using statistical index approach. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 8, 49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar

  33. Rezaei, M., Nikbakht, M., & Shakeri, A. (2017). Geochemistry and sources of fluoride and nitrate contamination of groundwater in Lar area, south Iran. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(18), 15471–15487.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  34. Rivett, M., Smith, J., Buss, S., & Morgan, P. (2007). Nitrate occurrence and attenuation in the major aquifers of England and Wales. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology Hydrogeology, 40(4), 335–352.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  35. Roy, S., Speed, C., Bennie, J., Swift, R., & Wallace, P. (2007). Identifying the significant factors that influence temporal and spatial trends in nitrate concentrations in the Dorset and Hampshire Basin Chalk aquifer of Southern England. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology Hydrogeology, 40(4), 377–392.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  36. Sadasivam, S., Thomas, H. R., Zagorš?ak, R., Davies, T., & Price, N. (2019). Baseline geochemical study of the Aberpergwm mining site in the South Wales Coalfield. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 202, 100–112.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  37. Shukla, S., & Saxena, A. (2018). Global status of nitrate contamination in groundwater: its occurrence, health impacts and mitigation measures. Handbook of Environmental Materials Management, 869–888.

  38. Stone, A., & Edmunds, W. (2014). Naturally-high nitrate in unsaturated zone sand dunes above the Stampriet Basin, Namibia. Journal of Arid Environments, 105, 41–51.

    Article  Google Scholar

  39. Stuart, M., Gooddy, D., Bloomfield, J., & Williams, A. (2011). A review of the impact of climate change on future nitrate concentrations in groundwater of the UK. Science of the Total Environment, 409(15), 2859–2873.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  40. Tew, K. (2018). Fetter CW, Boving T, Kreamer D (Eds.): Contaminant Hydrogeology. Environmental Earth Sciences, 77(22), 745.

  41. Villeneuve, S., Barbour, S., Hendry, M., & Carey, S. (2017). Estimates of water and solute release from a coal waste rock dump in the Elk Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Science of the Total Environment, 601, 543–555.

    Article  Google Scholar

  42. Ward, M. H., DeKok, T. M., Levallois, P., Brender, J., Gulis, G., Nolan, B. T., et al. (2005). Workgroup report: drinking-water nitrate and health—recent findings and research needs. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(11), 1607–1614.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  43. WHO, G. J. W. H. O. (2011). Guidelines for drinking-water quality. (Vol. 216, pp. 303–304).

  44. Wu, D., Zheng, B., Tang, X., Li, S., Wang, B., & Wang, M. (2004). Fluorine in Chinese coals. Fluoride, 37, 125–132.

    CAS  Google Scholar

  45. Xiong, Y., Xiao, T., Liu, Y., Zhu, J., Ning, Z., & Xiao, Q. (2017). Occurrence and mobility of toxic elements in coals from endemic fluorosis areas in the Three Gorges Region, SW China. Ecotoxicology Environmental Safety, 144, 1–10.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  46. Yadav, K., Raphi, M., & Jagadevan, S. (2020). Geochemical appraisal of fluoride contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of a coal mining region: Spatial variability and health risk assessment. Geochemistry, 125684.

  47. Younas, A., Mushtaq, N., Khattak, J. A., Javed, T., Rehman, H. U., & Farooqi, A. (2019). High levels of fluoride contamination in groundwater of the semi-arid alluvial aquifers, Pakistan: evaluating the recharge sources and geochemical identification via stable isotopes and other major elemental data. Environmental Science Pollution Research, 26(35), 35728–35741.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

  48. Zaitsev, G., Mettänen, T., & Langwaldt, J. (2008). Removal of ammonium and nitrate from cold inorganic mine water by fixed-bed biofilm reactors. Minerals Engineering, 21(1), 10–15.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

The results reported in this manuscript form part of the lead author’s Ph.D. research. We would like to thank the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan for funding research under its International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) program, Department of Environmental Science, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, especially Environmental Hydro Geochemistry Lab and the Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, for their technical and experimental support.

Funding

The research visit of Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter (UK) was funded by Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan under its International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) program.

Author information

Affiliations

Environmental Geochemistry Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, PO, Pakistan

Noshin Masood & Abida Farooqi

Environment & Sustainability Institute and Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, Penryn, TR10 9EZ, UK

Karen A. Hudson-Edwards

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abida Farooqi.

 

Print Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF