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Nitrate pollution mechanisms and health risk assessment of shallow groundwater in a millennium-cultivated region of China
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DOI：10.1016/j.pce.2026.104363.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
China's long agricultural history has led to nitrate pollution from farming, now a prevalent groundwater environmental issue. Taking the Jinghui Canal Irrigation District, which boasts an irrigation history of over 2200 years, as an example, this study explored the groundwater nitrate contamination mechanisms and its associated health risks. The results indicated severe nitrate pollution in the groundwater, with an average concentration reaching 121 mg/L and an over-standard rate of approximately 74%. Animal waste, sewage discharge, and soil nitrogen enrichment were identified as dominant sources of pollution. The high-concentration areas are primarily distributed in floodplains and terraces with strong aquifer permeability and shallow water levels. In addition, a novel approach has been adopted to integrate deterministic models with Monte Carlo probabilistic models for human health risk assessment. People of all ages in this areas were exposed to non-carcinogenic risks, with infants (0-2 years old) facing the highest risk (91.67% of samples with HQ > 1), and pregnant and lactating women also exhibiting significant risks. Morever, priority interventions, including aquifer recharge measures and agricultural source control, should be adopted to improve the groundwater environment. These findings hold significant theoretical implications for pollution prevention and control strategy formulation, and health protection for vulnerable populations in similar irrigation areas.
Keywords:
Nitrate pollution mechanism
Health risk assessment
Hydrochemical and isotopic tracing
Monte Carlo simulation prediction
Millennium-cultivated region
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