Calculating the Groundwater Quality Index and Comparing It to the Carcinogenic and Non-Carcinogenic Risk

In order to investigate the quality of groundwater in September 2022, 35 samples were collected from various groundwater sources in the Azarshahr plain, and the main elements, nitrates, and trace elements such as chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead, and arsenic, as well as two types of pesticides such as imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos, were analyzed and compared to drinking water standards. The drinking water quality index for the study area was calculated based on the concentration of parameters in the samples, and the health risk of cancerous and non-cancerous diseases for two age groups, children and adults, was calculated using the criteria of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). According to the findings of the studies, the region's water quality index is average, and the non-carcinogenic risk index for children and adults is less than one. It is hazardous, but the risk of carcinogenesis in the entire region is greater than 10-4, and its consumption poses health hazards due to skin contact. The health risk of cancer is many times higher in the region's south, in the cities of Azarshahr and Gogan, as well as the adjacent villages. The correlation between the GQI map and the health risk maps revealed that the correlation of carcinogenic risk is greater than the correlation of non-carcinogenic risk, and based on the correlation between the parameters in the region's groundwater, the elements influencing the health risk of carcinogenesis caused by geogenic factors and human activities do not play a significant role.