The impact of uranium contamination in groundwater on human health: a toxicological risk assessment

All living beings are exposed to naturally occurring radionuclides. Uranium, a primordial radionuclide forms compounds that are water soluble and enter the human body through food and drinking water. This study conducted a health risk assessment to evaluate the potential dangers associated with consuming uranium through groundwater in the Mansa district of Punjab, India. The uranium concentration varied from 43.43 mu g/L to 449.79 mu g/L. The biokinetic model of uranium including hair compartment as excretion pathway is used to calculate uranium retention in different organs of the human body. The Pearson correlation and principal component analysis are used for assessing the correlation of uranium with TDS, salinity, conductivity and pH. The high correlation is observed between TDS and uranium. The hazard quotient is 17.42 and excess cancer risk is higher than the permissible limit of 10-4. Owing to the high uranium concentration in Mansa district, periodic monitoring is advised along with clinical investigation of the population.