Groundwater Quality and Human Health Risk, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

One of the largest global resource problems to be faced in the coming years is access to safe water. Groundwater often requires less treatment and is therefore preferred over surface water as a source of drinking water; however, utilizing groundwater as a sustainable resource requires the protection and preservation of suitable groundwater sources. Earth processes and geochemical processes occurring in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and anthroposphere control water composition and its use. Since groundwater travels through earth materials (rocks, sediments, soils), it can pick up geologically occurring trace elements or radionuclides. Agriculture, industry, and human and animal waste are among the most common sources of groundwater contaminants. Contaminant interactions in the subsurface system are affected by, among other things, the properties of earth materials, microbiological activities, and hydrogeological conditions.

In contrast to physical hazards (landslides, volcanoes, earthquakes), chemical hazards are challenging to accurately identify in space and time. Groundwater may contain chemical compounds that affect human health and, if water intended for human consumption contains an unsafe level of chemical compounds, microbes, and radionuclides, it can cause severe health effects such as cancer, reproductive or developmental effects, skin discoloration, and organ damage. The main tools for determining the potential adverse effects of contaminants are evaluating human health risk and epidemiological studies. Meticulous research on contaminant redistribution from the land surface down to the water table plays a crucial role in delineating processes controlling groundwater quality. Most national authorities and stakeholders already have established standards for drinking water, including limits for several common constituents. The question is therefore whether the standards for drinking water need further revision or not. The main objective of this Special Issue is to help bridge the gap between knowledge on groundwater quality and its impact on human health.

Researchers are invited to submit relevant manuscripts focusing on, but not limited to:

• Medical geology and groundwater contamination;
• Organic solvents in groundwater and human health;
• The geochemical environment and human health;
• Links between the geochemical environment and disease;
• Geochemical processes and their effects on human health;
• Pollution and long-term health risks;
• Connections between groundwater quality and public health;
• Positive and negative societal impacts on groundwater quality;
• Land uses and groundwater quality;
• Groundwater quality changes and the associated health risk effects;
• Earth material toxicity or deficiency and public health;
• The deficiency and toxicity of trace elements;
• Exposure to carcinogens via ingestion of groundwater;
• Chemical exposure through groundwater and health effects.

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios E. Alexakis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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