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Spatial Linkages Between Geographical Environments and Health Indicators: From Water Quality Parameters to Regional Health Status

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 3890

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Dr. Zihao Wu

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College for Water Research, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
Interests: control of emerging contaminants; water chemistry; environmental risk assessment; antibiotics; advanced oxidation technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As urbanization accelerates and climate change intensifies, the global water crisis has reached critical levels, driven by both water scarcity and deteriorating water quality. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions in water management and environmental health. This Special Issue seeks to explore the vital connections between water quality parameters, regional geographical factors, and public health outcomes. This Special Issue also emphasizes how spatial factors—including hydrological conditions, soil composition, and climatic variables—mediate the effects of water quality on human health biomarkers. The Special Issue aims to address the growing need to understand how water pollution impacts health across various regions, focusing particularly on cardiovascular and metabolic health indicators. It seeks to bridge the gap between environmental science and medical research by investigating the following critical areas:

(1) Spatial distribution of water pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, sulfates, and organic compounds) and their influence on human health biomarkers, such as cardiac troponin I;

(2) Geographical correlations between regional water quality parameters (e.g., pH, dissolved oxygen, and mineral content) and health outcomes;

(3) Innovative technologies for water treatment, optimized by GIS, to mitigate health risks posed by poor water quality;

(4) Transport and transformation of pollutants across hydrological systems and their associated health risks, with a focus on spatial heterogeneity.

This Special Issue brings together interdisciplinary research from environmental toxicology, GIS analysis, water engineering, and environmental medicine to offer a comprehensive perspective on the geographical factors influencing water quality and public health. The research aims to provide actionable insights for developing region-specific water quality standards, targeted treatment strategies, and health risk assessments. By investigating the spatial dynamics of pollutant distribution and their health impacts, we hope to foster synergistic governance of the water–soil–health system, contributing to better health outcomes globally.

We welcome both fundamental and applied research, as well as review papers, that address the pressing challenges and prospects of understanding and mitigating the health impacts of water quality across diverse geographical contexts.

Environmental health biomarkers;
Water treatment technologies;
Spatial heterogeneity;
Water quality parameters;
Cardiovascular and metabolic health;
Geographic information systems (GISs);
Regional health disparities;
Pollutant transport and transformation;
Environmental medicine interdisciplinarity;
Health risk

Dr. Zihao Wu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

environmental health biomarkers
spatial heterogeneity
regional health disparities
pollutant transport and transformation
health risk assessment
environmental medicine interdisciplinarity

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2400 KB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanisms of Accumulation–Transport–Discharge and Source Apportionment of Combined Sewer Overflow Pollution

by Xiaolong Li, Zhiwei Zhou, Haifeng Jia, Zhili Li, Zhiyu Yang, Zibing Cai, Hongchi Zhou and Xiaoyu Shi

Water 2026, 18(5), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050573 - 27 Feb 2026

Viewed by 472

Abstract

Combined sewer overflow (CSO) pollution has consequently become a critical challenge, yet its formation depends on tightly coupled dry- and wet-weather processes. This study aims to integrate high-resolution field monitoring with statistical analysis to characterize the full “accumulation–transport–discharge” cycle of CSO pollution in a representative combined sewer catchment located in the Yangtze River basin, China. A dynamic analytical framework was established, combining multiple pollution media and linking dry-weather accumulation with rainfall-driven transport, enabling quantitative source apportionment of pollutant contributions. Results indicated that during dry periods, domestic sewage exhibited strong enrichment, with concentrations of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP) being 2.1-, 2.3-, and 1.9-fold higher, respectively, than the Chinese secondary discharge standards (GB 18918-2002). Surface sediment showed pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with greater loads in residential than transportation areas and substantial fine-particle accumulation on roofs (particle size < 150 μm, accounting for 73% by mass). Sewer sediments, dominated by coarse inorganic particles (over 77% by mass), represented the main pollutant reservoir. Rainfall produced distinct hydrodynamic and water quality responses. Light rain following long antecedent dry periods generated a high-concentration but low-load regime with a strong first flush, whereas moderate rain yielded lower concentrations but higher loads. Overflow occurred when rainfall exceeded ~14 mm, with pollutant peaks lagging rainfall by 20–45 min in the studied area. TIN and TP peaked sharply at rainfall event onset, and first-flush intensities followed TIN > TP > COD > suspended solids (SS). Source apportionment identified sewer sediments as the dominant CSO source, followed by surface runoff and domestic sewage. These findings clarify the mechanisms linking dry-weather accumulation to wet-weather transport and support targeted CSO pollution control and urban water quality management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Linkages Between Geographical Environments and Health Indicators: From Water Quality Parameters to Regional Health Status)

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27 pages, 3345 KB

Open AccessArticle

Distributive Disturbances: Examining Community Exposure to Drinking Water Contaminants Amidst the Jackson, Mississippi (USA) Water Crisis

by Ambria N. McDonald, Yolanda J. McDonald, Andrea Chow, Julia Kosinski and Dorceta E. Taylor

Water 2026, 18(3), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18030424 - 5 Feb 2026

Viewed by 1397

Abstract

Community water systems in the United States provide drinking water to more than 300 million people annually, making their reliability fundamental to public health. In regions with long histories of racial segregation and unequal infrastructure maintenance, water system failures can deepen existing environmental injustices. This study examines water quality conditions in the Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area following the 2022 distribution system collapse and a decade of repeated noncompliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2024 updated LCR tap sampling protocol, water samples from 29 sites were collected. Samples were analyzed for lead, copper, iron, zinc, chlorine, sulfate, pH, and total dissolved solids concentrations. Chlorine-to-sulfate mass ratios (CSMR) were also calculated to evaluate corrosion potential. Demographic surveys, statistical analyses, and geospatial visualizations were used to interpret neighborhood-level patterns. Our findings show that all sites met primary drinking water standards and complied with LCR action levels but exceeded secondary drinking water standards at 100% of study sites. Seven sites exhibited CSMR values above the threshold, indicating increased susceptibility to corrosion. These results highlight the need for targeted corrosion control, treatment optimization, and ongoing monitoring, particularly in historically marginalized communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Linkages Between Geographical Environments and Health Indicators: From Water Quality Parameters to Regional Health Status)

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21 pages, 7440 KB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetic Metal–Organic Framework: An Innovative Nanocomposite Adsorbent for the Removal of Emerging Drug Contaminants from Water

by Xueying Li, Asfandyar Shahab, Jinxiong Chen, Wei Li, Hua Zhang, Dunqiu Wang, Xinyu Tang, Mingxin Bin, Licheng Peng and Abubakr M. Idris

Water 2026, 18(3), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18030321 - 28 Jan 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 612

Abstract

The widespread use of antibiotics has taken a heavy toll on the environment, which cannot be ignored. Tetracycline antibiotics (TCs), as representative pharmaceutical contaminants, have emerged as a growing environmental concern due to their persistence and potential ecological risks. This study utilized 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) as a functionalizing reagent to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles NiFe₂O₄-COOH. These were then combined with Zr-MOF to create the magnetic adsorbent designated as NCF@Zr-MOF (where NCF represents carboxyl-functionalized nickel ferrite). Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) technology was employed to remove two representative tetracycline antibiotics, tetracycline (TC) and chlortetracycline (CTC) from the environment. The Langmuir model fitting revealed maximum adsorption reached 190.85 and 196.32 mg/g for TC and CTC, respectively, both of which conformed to the pseudo-second-order model during the adsorption process with spontaneous, heat-absorbing and entropy-increasing properties. Furthermore, following five cycles of adsorption and desorption, the removal rate for TCs was found to have decreased by 30%, yet the removal of CTCs remained at 95.32%. This adsorbent enables rapid separation via an external magnetic field. With its excellent stability and reusability, NCF@Zr-MOF shows great potential for removing antibiotics from water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Linkages Between Geographical Environments and Health Indicators: From Water Quality Parameters to Regional Health Status)

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14 pages, 1973 KB

Open AccessArticle

Geographic Exposomics of Cardiac Troponin I Reference Intervals in Chinese Adults: Climate-Topography Coupling-Driven Spatial Prediction and Health Risk Assessment

by Tianyu Li, Jiayu Zhang, Xinfeng Zhao and Zihao Wu

Water 2025, 17(10), 1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17101426 - 9 May 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 947 | Correction

Abstract

This study elucidates soil–climate regulatory mechanisms on regional health baselines in China and hydrogeochemical roles in cardiovascular biomarker differentiation. Utilizing data from 26,759 healthy adult samples across 286 Chinese cities/counties, seven core factors were identified via Pearson correlation analysis from 25 indicators, including longitude (X₁, r = −0.192, p = 0.009), elevation (X₃, r = 0.377, p = 0.001), and precipitation (X₇, r = −0.200, p = 0.006). Ridge regression analysis (R² = 0.714) was subsequently applied to simulate predicted values for 2232 cities/counties. The synergistic effects of soil calcium sulfate content and salinity (X₂₅) on serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) reference values were rigorously validated, explaining 25.5% of regional cTnI elevation (ΔR² = 0.183). The findings demonstrate that precipitation leaching and groundwater recharge processes collectively drive a 25.5% elevation in cTnI levels in northwestern regions (e.g., Nagqu, Tibet: altitude > 4500 m, annual sunshine > 3000 h) compared to southeastern areas. To mitigate salinity transport dynamics, optimization strategies targeting soil cation exchange capacity (X₁₈/X₁₉) were proposed, providing a theoretical foundation for designing gradient water treatment schemes in high-calcium-sulfate zones (CaSO₄ > 150 mg/L). Crucially, regression equations derived from the predictive model enable the construction of a geographically stratified reference framework for cTnI in Chinese adults, with spatial analysis delineating its latitudinal (R² = 0.83) and longitudinal (R² = 0.88) distribution patterns. We propose targeted strategies optimizing soil cation exchange capacity to mitigate sulfate transport in groundwater, informing geographically tailored water treatment and cardiovascular disease prevention efforts. Our findings provide localized empirical evidence critical for refining WHO drinking water sulfate guidelines, demonstrating direct integration of hydrogeochemistry, water quality management, and public health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Linkages Between Geographical Environments and Health Indicators: From Water Quality Parameters to Regional Health Status)

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