Contamination of Water: Health Risk Assessment and Treatment Strategies

Water is the world’s most valuable natural resource. Contamination-free water is everyone’s right. Due to rampant urbanization, industrialization, and uncontrolled population growth, pressure on existing water resources (surface/groundwater) has increased. Organic or inorganic discharges into the aquatic environment from various sources increase daily. These result in reduced quantities, quality degradation, and ultimately deteriorating human health. In the current scenario, over 0.78 billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water, eventually deteriorating their health. Because of lack of awareness, alternative pure water sources, and lower socioeconomic standards, large world populations consume contaminated water for drinking, bathing, and cooking. In the contemporary context, fluoride (F2), nitrate (NO3 2 ), heavy metals [As(III/V), Pb(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI/III), Hg(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II)], pesticides, and other emerging contaminants are attracting greater attention because of their harmful nature and impact on human and aquatic health, particularly when they exceed the prescribed limits.

Water pollution from domestic, municipal, mining, agriculture, and industry sources are now widely studied. Global populations drink primarily from surface and groundwater. Currently, due to consumption and dermal contact of contaminated water worldwide, several researchers focus on health risk assessment studies. Water intake with large amounts of inorganic and organic contaminants can cause serious health effects, from shortness of breath to different types of human cancers.

This book presents various chapters on water contamination around the different land-use areas, health risk assessment, and adsorption-based water treatment. It also includes the study of toxic metals, fluoride, ammonia, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, microplastics and nanomaterials, and radiological contamination of water resources. It also highlights the health risk issues related to different types of inorganic and organic contaminants present in water. Chapters related to the removal of these contaminants from the water are also included. The book will be useful for university students, teachers, and researchers, especially those working in water contaminations, hydrogeochemistry water treatment, health issues, and water resources management. It will also be useful for the NGOs working on health and water contamination issues, policymakers, and various government organizations.

This book is a humble attempt to address various water-related issues in all respects with the hope that it would be a significant addition to the available literature on the topic. The book’s contributors having different expertise provide a holistic literature on the topic imbibing diverse approaches and perspectives. We express our sincere gratitude to all the contributors and publishers who helped to produce a remarkable and meaningful edited volume on a very important topic.