Quantitative assessment of human health risks from chemical pollution in the uMsunduzi River, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: A quantitative chemical risk assessment was performed using published data as well as data from the official monitoring programme for the uMsunduzi River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The chemicals assessed were organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), heavy metals, and nitrates and phosphates. The water from uMsunduzi River is used locally without treatment. Consequently, the exposure routes investigated were via ingestion during domestic drinking and incidental ingestion during recreational activities, which were swimming and non-competitive canoeing, for both adults and children. For the individual chemicals, non-carcinogenic risks using the hazard quotient (HQ) and carcinogenic risks using the cancer risk (CR) were quantified. It was fo

SUBMITTER: Ngubane Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10682212 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature