Identify Priority Control Pollutants and Areas of Groundwater in an Old Metropolitan Industrial Area—A Case Study of Putuo, Shanghai, China

Abstract

Industrial activities have raised widespread concerns about groundwater pollution and human health. Shanghai’s industrial land has been polluting the groundwater for more than 30 years; however, it is not clear whether it poses a risk to human health. This study explores the health risk degree in different groups of groundwater in old industrial areas in Shanghai, China. We selected eight heavy metal elements (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Hg, Pb, Cu, and Zn) as the research objects and analyzed the characteristics of concentrations and spatial distribution using single factor index and geostatistical analytical methods. Results indicated that the average concentrations of As and Hg were higher than the environmental standards. Meanwhile, As, Ni, Hg and Pb in groundwater were notable anthropogenic inputs. Compared with irrigation cropland, the pollution of Ni, Pb and As in industrial land was obviously more serious. In addition, the health risk assessment results indicated the priority control pollutants of non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk are As and Cr, respectively. Our results showed that human activities have deeply increased heavy metal concentrations in groundwater, which in turn poses risks to human health. These findings provide scientific support for urban managers to reduce residents’ drinking water risks.