Health risk of arsenic, cadmium, and fluoride in drinking water in Guangdong, China, 2021

Objective To assess the health risks of arsenic, cadmium, and fluoride in drinking water in Guangdong, China.

Methods Based on the drinking water samples collected from January to December 2021 at various monitoring points of drinking water in Guangdong, arsenic, cadmium, and fluoride contents were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The US EPA health risk assessment model was applied to analyze the long-term and short-term health risks of the three chemicals by oral intake.

Results In 2021, a total of 23 160 drinking water samples were collected in Guangdong, of which the qualified rate for cadmium was 100%, and the qualified rates for arsenic and fluoride were 99.91% and 99.97%, respectively. The carcinogenic risks of arsenic and cadmium for the whole population were 2.01×10^-6 and 5.46×10^-6, respectively. The non-carcinogenic risks of the three chemicals were determined by hazard quotient (HQ) to be 4.47×10^-3, 1.79×10^-3, and 6.96×10^-2, respectively. The health risk from short-term exposure to arsenic for populations was at an acceptable level (HQ < 1), and fluoride might cause some acute health damage to populations (HQ>1).

Conclusion In 2021, the long-term health risks of arsenic, cadmium, and fluoride in drinking water in Guangdong were within the acceptable range. Short-term exposure to fluoride may cause some acute health damage to populations.