We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Sources and Consequences of Groundwater Contamination
ClearA Review of the Status, Effects, Prevention, and Remediation of Groundwater Contamination for Sustainable Environment
This review examines the state of groundwater contamination worldwide, including pollution from industrial chemicals, pesticides, and plastic-related contaminants. Unsafe water contributed to 1.2 million deaths globally in 2019, with low-income countries disproportionately affected. The paper discusses various cleanup methods and emphasizes the urgent need to protect groundwater, which is a primary source of drinking water for billions of people.
Environmental chemistry, toxicity and health risk assessment of groundwater: Environmental persistence and management strategies
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 quality: global challenges, emerging threats and novel approaches
This review highlights global groundwater quality challenges including emerging contaminants and antimicrobial resistance, emphasizing the need for significantly improved monitoring to identify and mitigate threats from historical and future pollution sources.
Groundwater Pollution and Contamination: Sources, Impacts, Management, and the Integration of AI/ML for Future Solutions
This review covers the sources, health impacts, and management strategies for groundwater pollution, including contamination from agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and landfill leachate. While broadly focused on water quality, the paper is relevant to microplastic concerns because contaminated groundwater is a drinking water source for billions of people, and emerging pollutants including microplastics are increasingly found in these systems.
Microplastic accumulation in groundwater: Data-scaled insights and future research
This data-driven review of nearly 400 groundwater samples worldwide found that microplastics are present in both shallow and deep groundwater, with open groundwater sources showing higher contamination than enclosed aquifers. The findings are relevant to human health because groundwater supplies drinking water for billions of people, and the study identifies key gaps in our understanding of how microplastics accumulate underground.
Microplastics in groundwater: a global analysis
Researchers conducted a global groundwater sampling study to characterize microplastic contamination in aquifer systems worldwide, investigating transport mechanisms and fate of particles in anoxic subsurface environments where knowledge gaps remain despite extensive research on surface water systems.
Groundwater systems under siege: The silent invasion of microplastics and cock-tails worldwide
This review reveals that groundwater, a critical drinking water source for billions of people, is increasingly contaminated with microplastics from surface pollution seeping downward through soil. Unlike ocean and river pollution, groundwater microplastic contamination has received far less research attention, leaving major gaps in understanding how plastics migrate underground. The findings are alarming because contaminated groundwater directly enters drinking water supplies with little to no treatment in many regions.
A Global Review of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Empirical Evidence and Latin American Perspectives
Scientists reviewed 129 studies and found that tiny pieces of plastic (called microplastics) are contaminating groundwater around the world, which is concerning because groundwater provides drinking water to billions of people. The research shows we don't know enough about this problem, especially in Latin America where only two studies have actually tested groundwater for plastic contamination. This matters because we need better monitoring and policies to protect our underground water sources from plastic pollution that could affect human health.
Topical Collection: International Year of Groundwater—managing future societal and environmental challenges
Researchers and hydrogeologists highlight the growing importance of groundwater in the global water cycle and call for better assessment, management, and public communication strategies to meet the UN's water-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Hydrogeochemistry and Health Risks Assessment of Some Groundwaters Suitability for Drinking Within the Urban Region of Unguja Island, Zanzibar
Researchers assessed groundwater quality and health risks in Zanzibar, finding contamination from nitrates, heavy metals, and microbial sources in wells used for drinking. While focused on chemical and microbial contaminants, groundwater in coastal regions is increasingly being assessed for microplastic contamination as well.
Microplastics contamination in groundwater of a drinking-water source area, northern China
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in shallow groundwater from a major drinking-water source area in northern China. The study found microplastics present in groundwater samples, with their abundance, morphology, and chemical composition varying across the study area and correlating with nearby human activities.
Microplastic pollution in groundwater: a systematic review
This systematic review reveals that microplastics have been found in groundwater sources worldwide, raising concerns about drinking water safety. Detection methods and reported contamination levels vary widely, highlighting the need for standardized testing to fully understand the scope of the problem.
Global distribution, drivers, and potential hazards of microplastics in groundwater: A review
This review maps the global distribution of microplastics in groundwater and finds that contamination is widespread, with fiber-shaped particles and polyethylene being the most common types detected. The study highlights that climate change and local geology play underappreciated roles in how microplastics move through soil into groundwater, which is a drinking water source for billions of people worldwide.
A review of soil pollution, causes, and health effects
This review summarized the causes, extent, and health effects of soil pollution, covering both natural and anthropogenic sources including industrial activity, agriculture, and urbanization. The paper discussed how soil contamination degrades agricultural productivity, contaminates water resources, and poses direct risks to human health.
Future Global Groundwater Quality Challenges
This review outlines emerging and legacy groundwater quality challenges that threaten drinking water security globally, including microplastic contamination alongside chemical and microbial pollutants. The authors call for improved monitoring and treatment infrastructure to protect future groundwater supplies.
Groundwater in the age of plastic
This review examines microplastic contamination of groundwater globally, synthesizing studies on occurrence, transport pathways through soil and aquifer matrices, and the emerging implications for drinking water safety and groundwater ecosystem health.
Contamination, morphological and chemical characterization, and hazard risk analyses of microplastics in drinking water sourced from groundwater in a developing nation
Researchers analyzed groundwater from six coastal districts in a developing nation and found widespread microplastic contamination, with fibers and fragments of polyethylene and polypropylene being the most common types. Since groundwater is the primary drinking water source in many developing countries, this contamination represents a direct pathway for microplastic ingestion by millions of people.
Identification of Groundwater Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of a Landfill in a Low Permeability Area
Researchers assessed groundwater quality and health risks near a landfill in a low-permeability red-bed area of Southwest China, finding elevated concentrations of heavy metals and organic pollutants in shallow aquifers used for drinking water by nearby rural residents.
Understanding Microplastic Pollution in Groundwater: Pathways, Health Implications and Solutions
This review examines how microplastics infiltrate groundwater systems through pathways including landfills, agricultural runoff, water treatment facilities, and aging plastic pipes. Researchers found that once in groundwater, microplastics can persist for long periods and degrade water quality while interacting with other subsurface contaminants. The study highlights that groundwater microplastic contamination is an underappreciated threat to one of humanity's most important freshwater sources.
Assessment of potentially toxic elements in groundwater through interpolation, pollution indices, and chemometric techniques in Dehradun in Uttarakhand State
Researchers assessed potentially toxic heavy metals (including iron, cadmium, lead, and chromium) in groundwater across an industrial region of northern India, finding contamination levels linked to agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and land use patterns that pose ongoing health risks to local communities.
Microplastics pollution in groundwater: Case study - Slovenia
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in Slovenian groundwater, which supplies drinking water to 98% of the population, characterizing MP occurrence, transport, and risk across multiple aquifer systems affected by urban, industrial, and agricultural activities.
Urban and Groundwater Microplastic Contamination: Sources, Distribution, Impacts, and Remediation Technologies
This review addressed microplastic contamination in urban environments and groundwater systems, covering source pathways from roads and stormwater runoff, distribution through urban catchments, and potential impacts on drinking water aquifers. It highlighted groundwater as an understudied but critical exposure pathway.
Remediation Strategies for Soil and Water
This review examines remediation strategies for soil and water contaminated by industrial pollutants, surveying physical, chemical, and biological approaches to address the growing challenge of environmental decontamination driven by rapid global industrial development.
Global status, risk assessment, and knowledge gaps of microplastics in groundwater: A bibliometric analysis
This review analyzed 215 published studies on microplastics in groundwater and found that this area of research is still in its early stages compared to surface water studies. Evidence indicates that microplastic contamination is present in groundwater worldwide, but sampling methods and reported results vary widely. The authors identified significant knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics move through underground water systems and what risks they may pose to drinking water sources.