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Environmental chemistry, toxicity and health risk assessment of groundwater: Environmental persistence and management strategies
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This review examines groundwater contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, microplastics, and emerging pollutants, assessing health risks and highlighting the need for integrated management strategies to protect this critical freshwater resource.
Groundwater is a significant supply of freshwater for the world's population, being used for residence, agricultural, and industrial purposes. One-third of the world's population relies on groundwater for drinking applications. Groundwater pollution is a global issue with serious consequences for human health and the environment. It needs a thorough understanding because access to safe drinking water is a basic human right. However, groundwater quality is being threatened by urbanisation, agricultural activities, industrial activities, and climate change, among others. Pollutants like hydrocarbons, toxic metals, pesticides, microplastics, nanoparticles and other emerging contaminants mean a risk to human health and sustainable socioeconomic development. To ensure sustained groundwater usage to assess, monitor, and regulate groundwater quality issues is essential. Excess withdrawal alters groundwater flow together with contaminants like uranium, radon, radium, salinity, arsenic and fluoride, resulting in mediocre water quality. Consequently, chemical and biological contaminants owing to domestic, industrial, and agricultural practices alter water quality and threaten human health. Controlling and management of groundwater pollution and related health risks require developing vulnerability, hazard, and risk maps.
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Groundwater Contamination Sources, Pathways, Health Risks, Monitoring and Management
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This review maps the full landscape of groundwater contamination — from geogenic arsenic and fluoride to agricultural runoff, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics — and argues that effective protection requires prevention-first governance layered with risk-based monitoring, source control, and targeted treatment tailored to each aquifer's hydrogeology.
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This review examines how emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics infiltrate groundwater through landfill leaching, septic systems, and agricultural runoff. Researchers highlight the challenges of detecting these pollutants at low concentrations and their ability to persist and spread through groundwater systems. The study emphasizes the urgent need for advanced detection technologies and stronger regulatory frameworks to protect groundwater resources.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.