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Preliminary Assessment of Uranium Contamination in Drinking Water Sources Near a Uranium Mine in the Siavonga District, Zambia, and Associated Health Risks

Vorläufige Bewertung der Urankontamination in Trinkwasserquellen in der Nähe einer Uranmine im Bezirk Siavonga, Sambia, und damit verbundene Gesundheitsrisiken

Evaluación preliminar de la contaminación por uranio en las fuentes de agua potable cercanas a una mina de uranio en el distrito de Siavonga, Zambia y los riesgos asociados para la salud

赞比亚Siavonga区铀矿附近饮用水源的铀污染及健康风险初步评价

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Abstract

Uranium (U) levels in drinking water sources in the vicinity of a U mine in the Siavonga district in the Southern Province of Zambia are alarming. The median U concentrations in drinking water sources showed a decreasing trend: streams (135.30 µg/L) > dams (115.62 µg/L) > boreholes (111.31 µg/L) > shallow wells (110.03 µg/L). The U levels in all the samples exceeded the safe limit for drinking water recommended by the World Health Organization, suggesting that the water is not safe for consumption. The mean target hazard quotients (THQ) in all of the water samples exceeded the safe limit (THQ > 1), implying that consumers of this water were at a greater risk of potential non-carcinogenic health effects. The carcinogenic risks from uranium at most of the drinking water sources also exceeded acceptable thresholds (10–6), indicating an increased risk of cancer for the population.

Zusammenfassung

Die Uran(U)-Werte in Trinkwasserquellen in der Nähe einer U-Mine im Bezirk Siavonga in der Südprovinz Sambias sind alarmierend. Die mittleren U-Konzentrationen in Trinkwasserquellen zeigten einen abnehmenden Trend: Bäche (135.30 µg/L) > Dämme (115.62 µg/L) > Bohrlöcher (111.31 µg/L) > Flachbrunnen (110.03 µg/L). Die U-Werte in allen Proben überschritten den von der Weltgesundheitsorganisation empfohlenen sicheren Grenzwert für Trinkwasser, was darauf hindeutet, dass das Wasser für den Konsum nicht sicher ist. Der mittlere Zielgefährdungsquotient (THQ) in allen Wasserproben überschritt den sicheren Grenzwert (THQ >1), was darauf hindeutet, dass die Verbraucher dieses Wassers einem grösseren Risiko potenzieller nicht karzinogener Gesundheitseffekte ausgesetzt waren. Die karzinogenen Risiken durch Uran an den meisten Trinkwasserquellen überschritten ebenfalls die akzeptablen Schwellenwerte (10–6), was auf ein erhöhtes Krebsrisiko für die Bevölkerung hinweist.

Resumen

Los niveles de uranio (U) en las fuentes de agua potable en las cercanías de una mina de U en el distrito de Siavonga, en la Provincia Meridional de Zambia, son alarmantes. Las concentraciones medias de U en las fuentes de agua potable mostraron una tendencia decreciente: arroyos (135.30 µg/L) > presas (115.62 µg/L) > perforaciones (111.31 µg/L) > pozos poco profundos (110.03 µg/L). Los niveles de U en todas las muestras excedieron el límite seguro para el agua potable recomendado por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, lo que sugiere que el agua no es segura para el consumo. Los cocientes de riesgo del objetivo medio (THQ) en todas las muestras de agua excedieron el límite seguro (THQ>1), lo que implica que los consumidores de esta agua corrían un mayor riesgo de posibles efectos no cancerígenos para la salud. Los riesgos cancerígenos del uranio en la mayoría de las fuentes de agua potable también superaban los umbrales aceptables (10–6), lo que indicaba un mayor riesgo de cáncer para la población.

抽象

赞比亚南部省Siavonga区铀矿附近的饮用水源铀含量令人忧虑。饮用水源铀浓度中位数的下降趋势: 溪流(135.30 µg/L) >大坝(115.62 µg/L) >钻孔(111.31 µg/L) >浅井(110.03 µg/L)。所有水样铀含量都已超过世界卫生组织建议的饮用水安全界限标准, 水已不宜安全饮用。所有水样的平均靶标危害系数(THQ)都已超过安全极限(THQ >1), 意味着饮用者面临更大的潜在非致癌健康影响风险。多数饮用水源的铀致癌风险也超过了可接受极限值 (10–6), 存在患癌人口增多风险。

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Ministry of Higher Education’s Department of Science and Technology for support under the Science and Technology Postgraduate Scholarships. We also express our sincere gratitude to the laboratory staff at Central Veterinary Research Institute in Toxicology and Biochemistry Laboratory and at the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute for helping with quality control and protocols for the study. Ethical clearance consistent with the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Zambia was obtained from Excellence in Research Ethics and Science (ERES) Converge, reference # “2019-Nov-015.” Permission to conduct the research was obtained from the National Health Research Authority on Dec. 23, 2019.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Para-Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

    Titus Haakonde, John Yabe & Kennedy Choongo

  2. Environmental Health Section, School of Applied and Health Sciences, Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and Commerce, Lusaka, Zambia

    Titus Haakonde

  3. School of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji Islands

    Kennedy Choongo

  4. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

    Gershom Chongwe

  5. Department of Soil Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali, 8602, Bangladesh

    Md. Saiful Islam

  6. Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Md. Saiful Islam

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Haakonde, T., Yabe, J., Choongo, K. et al. Preliminary Assessment of Uranium Contamination in Drinking Water Sources Near a Uranium Mine in the Siavonga District, Zambia, and Associated Health Risks. Mine Water Environ 39, 735–745 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-020-00731-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-020-00731-5

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