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Volume 17
Issue 14
10.3390/w17142143
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Analysis of Human Health Risk Related to the Exposure of Arsenic Concentrations and Temporal Variation in Groundwater of a Semi-Arid Region in Mexico

by
Jennifer Ortiz Letechipia
1,
Miguel Eduardo Pinedo Vega
1,
Julián González Trinidad
2,*,
Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira
2,*,
Ana Isabel Veyna Gómez
2,
Ada Rebeca Contreras Rodríguez
2,
Cruz Octavio Robles Rovelo
2 and
Sandra Dávila Hernández
3
1
Unidad Académica de Ciencias Químicas, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
2
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Luz y la Materia, LUMAT, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Circuito Marie Curie S/N, Parque de Ciencias y Tecnología QUANTUM, Ciudad del Conocimiento, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
3
Programa Académico de Topografía, Unidad Académica de Ingeniería, Ramón López Velarde, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98600, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2025, 17(14), 2143; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17142143
Submission received: 27 May 2025 / Revised: 26 June 2025 / Accepted: 16 July 2025 / Published: 18 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Groundwater Resource Development: Innovative Methods and Technologies)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study evaluates the human health risks associated with exposure to arsenic in groundwater from a semi-arid region of Mexico, focusing on concentration levels and their temporal variation. Arsenic concentrations were analyzed using ordinary kriging for spatial interpolation, along with descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Human health risk was assessed through the following two key indicators: the Hazard Quotient (HQ), which estimates non-carcinogenic risk by comparing exposure levels to reference doses and carcinogenic risk (CR), which represents the estimated lifetime probability of developing cancer due to arsenic exposure. The mean arsenic concentration across both study years was 0.0200 mg/L, with median values of 0.0151 mg/L in 2015 and 0.0200 mg/L in 2020. The average HQ was 2.13 in 2015 and 2.17 in 2020, both exceeding the safety threshold of one. Mean CR values were 0.00096 and 0.00097 for 2015 and 2020, respectively, with a consistent median of 0.00072 across both years. A t-test was applied to compare the distributions between years. Both HQ and CR values significantly exceeded the recommended safety limits (p < 0.05), indicating that groundwater in the study area poses a potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk. These findings underscore the urgent need for water quality monitoring and the implementation of mitigation measures to safeguard public health in the region.
Keywords: groundwater pollution; health risk; arsenic groundwater pollution; health risk; arsenic

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ortiz Letechipia, J.; Pinedo Vega, M.E.; González Trinidad, J.; Júnez-Ferreira, H.E.; Veyna Gómez, A.I.; Contreras Rodríguez, A.R.; Robles Rovelo, C.O.; Dávila Hernández, S. Analysis of Human Health Risk Related to the Exposure of Arsenic Concentrations and Temporal Variation in Groundwater of a Semi-Arid Region in Mexico. Water 2025, 17, 2143. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17142143

AMA Style

Ortiz Letechipia J, Pinedo Vega ME, González Trinidad J, Júnez-Ferreira HE, Veyna Gómez AI, Contreras Rodríguez AR, Robles Rovelo CO, Dávila Hernández S. Analysis of Human Health Risk Related to the Exposure of Arsenic Concentrations and Temporal Variation in Groundwater of a Semi-Arid Region in Mexico. Water. 2025; 17(14):2143. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17142143

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ortiz Letechipia, Jennifer, Miguel Eduardo Pinedo Vega, Julián González Trinidad, Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira, Ana Isabel Veyna Gómez, Ada Rebeca Contreras Rodríguez, Cruz Octavio Robles Rovelo, and Sandra Dávila Hernández. 2025. "Analysis of Human Health Risk Related to the Exposure of Arsenic Concentrations and Temporal Variation in Groundwater of a Semi-Arid Region in Mexico" Water 17, no. 14: 2143. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17142143

APA Style

Ortiz Letechipia, J., Pinedo Vega, M. E., González Trinidad, J., Júnez-Ferreira, H. E., Veyna Gómez, A. I., Contreras Rodríguez, A. R., Robles Rovelo, C. O., & Dávila Hernández, S. (2025). Analysis of Human Health Risk Related to the Exposure of Arsenic Concentrations and Temporal Variation in Groundwater of a Semi-Arid Region in Mexico. Water, 17(14), 2143. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17142143

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