Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia; Department of Chemistry, Northwest University Kano, PMB, 3220, Kano, Nigeria
  • 2 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia. Electronic address: lowkayin@um.edu.my
  • 3 East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), University Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 4 Environmental Health Division, Department of Chemistry Malaysia, Jalan Sultan, 46661, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia
Chemosphere, 2018 Mar;195:641-652.
PMID: 29287272 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.12.112

Abstract

Evaluation of health risks due to heavy metals exposure via drinking water from ex-mining ponds in Klang Valley and Melaka has been conducted. Measurements of As, Cd, Pb, Mn, Fe, Na, Mg, Ca, and dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, ammoniacal nitrogen, total suspended solid, biological oxygen demand were collected from 12 ex-mining ponds and 9 non-ex-mining lakes. Exploratory analysis identified As, Cd, and Pb as the most representative water quality parameters in the studied areas. The metal exposures were simulated using Monte Carlo methods and the associated health risks were estimated at 95th and 99th percentile. The results revealed that As was the major risk factor which might have originated from the previous mining activity. For Klang Valley, adults that ingested water from those ponds are at both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, while children are vulnerable to non-carcinogenic risk; for Melaka, only children are vulnerable to As complications. However, dermal exposure showed no potential health consequences on both adult and children groups.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.