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<p>Chronic exposure to inorganic contaminants in groundwater represents a major public health concern in semi-arid regions, particularly where populations depend almost exclusively on untreated groundwater for drinking water. In northern Mexico, research has focused on arsenic, while the contributions of other inorganic elements remain poorly characterized. This study conducted a multi-elemental health risk assessment based on 119 groundwater samples collected in the Comarca Lagunera, a region with long-documented arsenic contamination. Non-carcinogenic risk (Hazard Index=HI) was evaluated for adults and children considering arsenic, fluoride, iodine, manganese, nitrate, molybdenum, boron, selenium, and uranium, while carcinogenic risk (Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk=ILCR) was estimated for arsenic. Risk patterns were analyzed using hydrological sub-basins as spatial units and complemented with a quartile-based prioritization approach at the individual well level. Results showed that arsenic exceeded the drinking water guideline (0.01&#xa0;mg/L) in 95.9% of the samples, fluoride in 34.7%, and iodine—an unregulated parameter in Mexico and WHO guidelines—in 34.7% of the samples, considering China’s drinking water standard (0.1&#xa0;mg/L). The HI exceeded the threshold of concern (HI &gt; 1) in all sub-basins for both children and adults, with children exhibiting consistently higher risk. Arsenic-related ILCR values exceeded the acceptable limit (1 × 10⁻⁴) by more than two orders of magnitude in all sub-basins. While RH36Ab sub-basin showed the highest combined non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk values, RH36Aa sub-basin presented a more spatially extensive distribution of high-risk wells. These findings indicate that reliance on single-contaminant or administrative-scale assessments may underestimate real exposure scenarios in groundwater-dependent regions. The identification of iodine as an emerging, unregulated contaminant, together with the co-occurrence of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, highlights the need for integrated, multi-elemental monitoring frameworks based on hydrological units, particularly to improve risk prioritization and support public health interventions in groundwater-dependent regions.</p>

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Multi-elemental Health Risk Assessment from Groundwater Contaminants in a Semi-Arid Region of Northern Mexico

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月31日

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  • Alejandra Gardea-López,
  • Javier Castro-Larragoitia,
  • Rogelio Flores-Ramírez,
  • Gonzalo García-Vargas,
  • Antonio Cardona-Benavides,
  • Silvia Romero-Contreras,
  • Mariana Buendía-Oliva,
  • Ernesto Peredo-Rivera

摘要

Chronic exposure to inorganic contaminants in groundwater represents a major public health concern in semi-arid regions, particularly where populations depend almost exclusively on untreated groundwater for drinking water. In northern Mexico, research has focused on arsenic, while the contributions of other inorganic elements remain poorly characterized. This study conducted a multi-elemental health risk assessment based on 119 groundwater samples collected in the Comarca Lagunera, a region with long-documented arsenic contamination. Non-carcinogenic risk (Hazard Index=HI) was evaluated for adults and children considering arsenic, fluoride, iodine, manganese, nitrate, molybdenum, boron, selenium, and uranium, while carcinogenic risk (Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk=ILCR) was estimated for arsenic. Risk patterns were analyzed using hydrological sub-basins as spatial units and complemented with a quartile-based prioritization approach at the individual well level. Results showed that arsenic exceeded the drinking water guideline (0.01 mg/L) in 95.9% of the samples, fluoride in 34.7%, and iodine—an unregulated parameter in Mexico and WHO guidelines—in 34.7% of the samples, considering China’s drinking water standard (0.1 mg/L). The HI exceeded the threshold of concern (HI > 1) in all sub-basins for both children and adults, with children exhibiting consistently higher risk. Arsenic-related ILCR values exceeded the acceptable limit (1 × 10⁻⁴) by more than two orders of magnitude in all sub-basins. While RH36Ab sub-basin showed the highest combined non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk values, RH36Aa sub-basin presented a more spatially extensive distribution of high-risk wells. These findings indicate that reliance on single-contaminant or administrative-scale assessments may underestimate real exposure scenarios in groundwater-dependent regions. The identification of iodine as an emerging, unregulated contaminant, together with the co-occurrence of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, highlights the need for integrated, multi-elemental monitoring frameworks based on hydrological units, particularly to improve risk prioritization and support public health interventions in groundwater-dependent regions.