NITRATE CONTAMINATION OF GROUNDWATER IN SELECTED INDUSTRIAL AND NON INDUSTRIAL SITES, COIMBATORE DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU: EXPOSURE AND HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENTNandhini V. and Rathika R.Abstract Groundwater resources are essential for sustaining human health, agricultural productivity, and industrial growth. In recent years, anthropogenic influences have caused a sharp decline in ground water quality, which is also having an impact on human health in many parts of India. It is crucial to analyze the risk of contamination to human health and the quality of the water supply. Coimbatore is one of the rapidly growing industrial areas in South India. The industrial areas of ground water have a significant impact on ground water quality due to anthropogenic activities such as discharge of Industrial waste, chemicals and pollutants into the ground which make water unsuitable for human and industrial use. Nitrate is the emerging contaminant which can cause a deadly disease methehemoglobinemia. Hence the present study is focused to analyze the ground water of selected industrial and non industrial sites of Coimbatore city. Nitrate concentration ranged from 32.90 to 88.13 mg/l in the samples industrial and non-industrial sites, and over 37% of both the sites had nitrate levels that above the Bureau of Indian Standardsâ and WHOâs acceptable limits (45 mg/l and 50 mg/l, respectively). The USEPA human health risk assessment tool was used to examine the potential health hazards of increased nitrate intake for both adults and children. |