Groundwater Quality and Public Health

• DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-112321-114701
• Publication Date: 2023-08-16T18:22:46Z
• Authors: Xianjun Xie; Jianbo Shi; Kunfu Pi; Yamin Deng; Bing Yan; Lei Tong; Linlin Yao; Yiran Dong; Junxia Li; Liyuan Ma; Chunmiao Zheng; Guibin Jiang
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 11. Sustainability; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; 3. Good health; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Groundwater deterioration due to enrichment with contaminants of either geogenic or anthropogenic origin has adversely affected safe water supply for drinking and irrigation, pervasive impacts on human health ecosystem functions. However, the spatiotemporal evolution public effects groundwater quality remain unclarified, posing a grand challenge sustainable global resources. This article provides state-of-the-art review complexity dynamics quality, as well various substances health. In particular, knowledge is growing about key ranging from nutritional elements (e.g., Ca 2+ , Mg ) pollutants heavy metals/metalloids, persistent organic pollutants, emerging contaminants) and, further, pathogenic microorganisms which body can be exposed through multiple patterns use. Proliferating concerns at same time call enhancing science-based governance directives, economic policies, management strategies coordinating quality. We propose that safeguarding groundwater-dependent needs concerted efforts in source control, cross-scale rehabilitation, social hydrology-based governance.