Assessment of health hazards related to contaminations of fluorides, nitrates, and nitrites in drinking water of Vehari, Punjab, Pakistan
Aslam Hameed, Saima Nazir, Jalil Ur Rehman, Nisar Ahmad, Altaf Hussain, Iftikhar Alam, Aalia Nazir, Muhammad Bilal Tahir
Abstract
The high concentration of fluorides, nitrates, and nitrites in water causes methemoglobinemia and gastrointestinal cancer. The purpose of this research is to investigate the physiochemical analysis and concentration of fluoride, nitrate, and nitrite with interconnected health hazards due to potable water. The potable water samples were collected from 48 different rural and urban areas of district Vehari, Pakistan. The concentration of fluoride, nitrate, and nitrite are 0.29–0.86, 0–14.086, and 0–0.005 mg/L, respectively. Nitrate at one place is reported 14.086 mg/L which is much higher than other area reports. The findings of this study indicate that concentrations of fluoride, nitrate, and nitrites are less than WHO guidelines. The chronic daily intake (mg/kg/day) and hazard quotient calculated by concentration are also in safe limits, so this region is on the safe side concerning health hazards.