Water Quality, Exposure and Health 

About: Water Quality, Exposure and Health is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Water quality & Groundwater. It has an ISSN identifier of 1876-1658. Over the lifetime, 170 publications have been published receiving 3063 citations.

A Review of Genesis and Evolution of Water Quality Index (WQI) and Some Future Directions

Abstract: The concept of indexing water with a numerical value to express its quality, based on physical, chemical and biological measurements, was developed in 1965 by US based National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). In NSFWQI, the selection of parameters is based on Delphi method and these models were formulated in additive and multiplicative forms. The models were implemented across various states in the US while being continually refined. One refined form is known as Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI). The index enjoys the advantage of being free from the arbitration in weighting the parameters and employs the concept of harmonic averaging. Another model of WQI from Europe (Spain) is that of Bascaron (Bol. Inf. Medio Ambient. 9:30–51, 1979), which is based on the normalization of the concentrations of the water quality parameters and then aggregating them through an additive model with suitable weights attached to the parameters involved. The major differences in various WQIs are based on the mannerism of statistical integration and interpretation of parameter values. A totally different approach was adopted in the Canadian Water Quality Index also known as Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI). CCME WQI and is also being used by many countries all over the world and has also been endorsed by United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in 2007 as a model for Global Drinking Water Quality Index (GDWQI). The most commonly used parameters are dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, nitrates, phosphates, metals among others. All indices have one or other limitation and the search for a perfect one is still a challenge.

Removal of Cadmium Ion from Water/Wastewater by Nano-metal Oxides: A Review

Abstract: Environmental water samples contain wide range of contaminants including heavy metal ions that are required only in trace amount. Excessive level of metal ions in water may be detrimental to health and environment. Heavy metal poisoning has been a serious concern all over the globe. Heavy metals are well known to be non-biodegradable and tend to bio-accumulate at various concentrations. A number of methods have been proposed to remove heavy metal ions from water and among them adsorption is one of the best methods. Cadmium has been identified as one of the toxic heavy metals that enters the water through disposal of waste from industries. The increasing technological use of cadmium has raised the concern for its removal from water/wastewater. This review article provides an overview of use of nano-metal oxides as adsorbents for removal of cadmium from water/wastewater. This study involves the identification of environmentally friendly, low-cost and efficient nano-metal oxide sorbents for water/wastewater purification. A detailed comparison of reported nano-metal oxide sorbents has been done in order to rank them and to predict the knowledge gaps in this area.

Assessment of Surface Water Quality Using Heavy Metal Pollution Index in Subarnarekha River, India

Abstract: Surface water samples were collected from 21 sampling sites throughout the Subarnarekha River during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The concentrations of Al, As, Ba, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Se, V and Zn were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for seasonal fluctuation, source apportionment and heavy metal pollution indexing. The results demonstrated that concentrations of the metals showed significant seasonality and most variables exhibited higher levels in the pre-monsoon season. Principal component analysis outcome of four factors together explained 73.13 % of the variance with $$>$$ 1 initial Eigenvalue indicating both innate and anthropogenic activities as contributing factors of metal profusion in the river. To assess the composite influence of all the considered metals on the overall quality of the water, heavy metal pollution indices were calculated. The HPI for surface water of the river considering all the seasons and locations was 32.27. The HPI of the river calculated for the individual locations showed great variations ranging from 3.55 to 388.9. All the locations fall under low to medium classes of HPI except few locations which are under the influence of industries, mining or near the estuary. The enhanced concentrations of certain metals in the Subarnarekha River near industrial and mining establishments may be attributed to anthropogenic contribution from the industrial and mining activities of the area.

Characterizing Monsoonal Variation on Water Quality Index of River Mahi in India using Geographical Information System

Abstract: River water quality has gained significance as river water is being contaminated due to various human activities and it needs attention to ensure sustainable safe use. Geographical Information System (GIS) and Water Quality Index (WQI), which synthesize different available water quality data into an easily understood format, provide a way to summarize overall water quality conditions in a manner that can be clearly communicated to policy makers. Physicochemical analysis data of various water samples collected at different locations forms the quality database for the study. WQI was then calculated to find the suitability of water for drinking purpose. Inverse distance weighted spatial interpolation technique was used for generation of pollution potentiality map of the area. Agglomerative Cluster Analysis (CA) was performed for delineating and grouping the similar pollution causing areas. The overall view of the water quality index of the present study area revealed that most of the study area comes under highly to very highly polluted zone.

The Use of Water Quality Index Models for the Evaluation of Surface Water Quality: A Case Study for Kirmir Basin, Ankara, Turkey

Abstract: Water quality is an important factor for health and safety issues associated with public health and also for aquatic life. More and more water quality issues are becoming a significant concern due to the growth of population, urban expansion and development. Thus, assessment of surface water quality has become an important issue. Water Quality Index (WQI) is a single number which can be calculated easily and used for overall description of the quality of water bodies used for different purposes. In this study, the water quality data obtained from 10 sampling stations during one year monitoring period at Kirmir basin was evaluated. Kirmir basin is one of the important drinking water sources of the capital city of Turkey, Ankara. The analyses of 44 water quality parameters were done for all water samples at the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI), Department of Chemistry, Water Analysis Laboratory. It was found that DO, BOD, phosphate, color, turbidity, T. coli, E. coli, Enterococci, iron, manganese, arsenic, aluminum, boron, and barium values which exceed the limit values given in the water quality standards are the major pollutants that affect the water quality in this basin. For easy interpretation of the data, five different WQI models were applied for the selected parameters. The suitability of these WQI models is discussed with respect to their applicability in similar studies. For this study it is concluded that the Canadian WQI (CWQI) and Oregon WQI (OWQI) would provide the best results.