The assessment of water quality and human health risk from pollution of chosen heavy metals in the Upstream Citarum River, Indonesia

Abstract

This study explains water quality in terms of seven heavy metals in the Upstream Citarum River and analyses human health risk (non-carcinogenic risk) for adults and children. Water samples were collected from five sampling locations along the Upstream Citarum River, i.e. from Majalaya Sub-District to Dayeuhkolot Sub-District. The contents of heavy metals were analysed by the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) variant 240 FS. The results of the analysis showed that the pollution index value, which was categorised as slightly polluted from the highest to the lowest value, was as follows: location 4 (4.220) > location 1 (3.764) > location 2 (3.219) > location 5 (2.967) > location 3 (2.800). Values of the hazard index ( HI) for adults and children were as follows: Pb > Cr > Cd > Zn > Ni > Co > Cu. Pb and Cr have HI values greater than 1. This indicates that these metals can have a negative impact on public health. The HI in the ingestion pathway was greater than that of the dermal pathway, and the HI value for children was greater than that for adults. Further research is needed regarding the health risks from groundwater around the area which is used directly by the community because river water and groundwater systems are interconnected through streambeds.

Keywords

• citarum river
• heavy metals
• human health risk
• water quality