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Cancer and non-cancer risk assessment of fluoride and nitrate in water samples from selected Niger Delta communities.
| Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health | Taiwo AM, Dimowo BO, Gbadebo AM, Sojinu OS, Dimowo PK. | 25:1-18.
Africa Endemic fluorosis areas Groundwater Health Risk Assessment Other

Abstract

Original abstract online at
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ref/10.1080/19338244.2026.2676878?scroll=top

Nitrate (NO3–) and fluoride (F–) are beneficial in trace amounts but pose health risks at high concentrations. This study evaluated their contamination and associated health risks in water from Niger Delta communities, focusing on infants, children, teenagers, and adults through oral ingestion and dermal exposure pathways. Analysis of 113 samples revealed fluoride concentrations (3.55–7.5 mg/L) consistently exceeded the WHO guidelines (1.5 mg/L) with dietary intake mostly exceeding tolerable upper intake levels across life stage groups with a few exceptions in Communities such as Evboehighae, Ikobi, Jadawa By EPZ, Obubra and Maternity. Nitrate levels (3.55–13.10 mg/L) were below the WHO guideline (50 mg/L), with a low Nitrate Pollution Index. Human Health Risk Assessment identified oral ingestion as the main exposure pathway. Fluoride posed a pervasive non-carcinogenic risk, with its Hazard Quotient (HQ) exceeding the safety threshold for all age groups in every community. Nitrate, while low, presented a critical carcinogenic threat. The Mean Cancer Risk (MCR) for nitrate surpassed acceptable limits by several orders of magnitude for all ages, with infants most vulnerable. These findings indicate a public health crisis involving widespread fluorosis and a latent carcinogenic risk from nitrate, necessitating immediate interventions like defluoridation, pollution control, and health education.

Acknowledgments

BOD conducted the research, including field sample collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript drafting. AMG, AMT, and OSS supervised the research. AMG contributed to the study conception and provided reagents. AMT edited and restructured the manuscript. OSS provided critical review. PKD assisted with data interpretation, analysis, and proofreading. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data generated or analyzed for this study are available within the manuscript or supplementary information files. Further information can be requested from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) through its in-country PhD scholarship scheme under Award [PISS2021000000046676].

References