Groundwater Driving Factors Identification and Its Associated Human Health Risk Assessment in a Metropolitan City of...

Health risks associated with groundwater deterioration have become increasingly prominent worldwide. Accurate assessment of human health risks associated with groundwater is a critical component of groundwater development and utilization, particularly in large metropolitan areas with high water resource demands. In our study, 37 groundwater samples were collected from the main urban areas of Chongqing, the largest city in southwest China, to identify the groundwater driving factors and their associated human health risk. The primary hydrochemical facies in the study area is Ca-HCO₃. Groundwater hydrochemistry is primarily controlled by silicate weathering, carbonate (dolomite and calcite) dissolution, and anthropogenic activities such as industrial and agricultural activities. The hazard index (HI) caused by NO₃^- and NO₂^- was higher than the safety standard and exhibited potentially noncarcinogenic risk for children in the north and the west of the study area. The KDE-based Monte Carlo simulation method showed a high reliability in human health risk assessment, with all mean values of the original dataset falling within their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of generated data. The achievement can provide valuable insights for groundwater risk mitigation and resource management in Chongqing's main urban areas, as well as in other metropolitan regions worldwide.