Ground/drinking water contaminants and cancer incidence: A case study of rural areas of South West Punjab, India

This study was carried out in the rural areas of South West Punjab, India, to evaluate the groundwater quality and cancer incidence. The epidemiological study was carried using standardized questionnaire method, and the groundwater samples were analyzed for heavy metals by ICP-MS and AAS. The results showed that the cancer prevalence was highest in the age group of > 60, followed by >45–60 years old in both males and females. The average cancer rate in females (272 cases/lakh) was ∼3 times higher than the India’s national cancer average of 80 cases/lakh. The mean concentration of As (27.59 µg/L), Pb (48.3 µg/L), U (96.56 µg/L), NO3– (67.32 mg/L), and F– (4.7 mg/L) exceeded the drinking water limits of WHO/BIS. Health risk analysis indicated that As, Pb, U, and F– with NO3– are the major groundwater contaminants, which may be one of the potential cause of cancer incidences. Multivariate analyses reveal that anthropogenic activities are source of NO3–, whereas U, As, and F– are mainly of geogenic origin. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk followed in the order of As > Pb and U > F–>NO3–>Cu > Zn, respectively. Further, correlations between cancer incidence and groundwater quality have been discussed.