Abstract

OTHAX, Natalia; PELUSO, Fabio  and  GONZALES CASTELAIN, José. Health risk due to fluorides, nitrates and arsenic in groundwater: the case of the city of Tres Arroyos, Argentina. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2014, vol.30, n.1, pp.27-41. ISSN 0188-4999.

Water quality sampling of shallow wells in the city of Tres Arroyos, Argentina, showed the simultaneous presence of fluorides, nitrates and arsenic (F^-, NO₃^- and As) in varying concentrations. We analyzed the health risk by the presence of these substances by checking whether there are differences between different parts of the city, exposure scenarios and different types of exposed individuals. The analysis was performed using the basic model of probabilistic health risk analysis of USEPA (1989) considering three children aged strata (5, 10 and 15) and integrating the residential and school scenarios on the basis of the exposition by ingestion and dermal contact with water. The risk levels generally exceed the level of security, except in the case of skin contact. Integrated risk values (residential risk + school risk) are decreasing with respect to age and the main contributor to the cumulative risk is As. We identified the the worst area of the city in terms of risk and identified the advantages of cumulative and aggregate risk analysis.

Keywords : integrated health risk; groundwater; contaminants.