ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Water
Sec. Water and Human Health
This article is part of the Research TopicIndian Scenario on Exposure, Characterization and Health Risk Appraisal of Toxic Contaminants in GroundwaterView all 3 articles
Heavy Metal Contamination and Associated Health Risk Assessment in Groundwater of Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
Provisionally accepted
- Centre of Environmental Studies, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India
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Groundwater quality assessment is crucial for understanding the effects of natural and anthropogenic activities on water resources, particularly in regions like Uttar Pradesh, India, where groundwater serves as a primary source for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes. This study examines the hydrogeochemical characteristics, metal pollution indices, and groundwater quality in relation to carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks to adult and child populations, using an integrated approach that combines several metal pollution indices. The analysis is based on 50 samples (25 samples per season) collected in Mirzapur district. The mean concentration of heavy metals in the pre-monsoon phase followed the order: Zn> Fe> Cd> As> Pb> Cr, and during the post-monsoon, it was: Fe > Zn > Cd > As > Pb > Cr. This reversal in the relative abundance of Zinc and Iron likely reflects post-monsoon mobilisation of Fe through reductive dissolution of Fe-bearing minerals, coupled with dilution and leaching effects that reduce Zn concentrations during recharge. The study revealed elevated concentrations of arsenic (100 µg/L) and cadmium (125 µg/L), along with high values of HPI (2900), HEI (47), and NI (34). All of these exceeded the critical values, indicating significant pollution by heavy metals in the region. Chronic exposure to Fe and Cd exhibited Hazard Quotient (HQ) values far above safe thresholds of 1, reaching up to 1.25 for Fe and 3 for Cd. The Total Carcinogenic Risk (TCR) values for As exceeded the acceptable range, reaching up to 4×10−3, and particularly impacted vulnerable groups, such as children.
Keywords: Heavy metal pollution index, Ecological risk, Hazard Quotient, Carcinogenic risk, Nemerow index
Received: 29 Aug 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tripathi, Varma, Srivastava, Dlamini and Jha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Pawan Kumar Jha, findpawan@gmail.com
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