Risks Assessment of Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Fe and Al) Linked to the Consumption of Drilling Water by Local Populations: Case of the City of Bouake (Cote Divoire)

Drilling water consumption in the city of Bouake,the second largest city in Cote d Ivoire, could potentially expose the population to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks linked to heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Fe, Al). In order to assess these risks, heavy metals analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) were carried out in 16 samples of drilling water collected in the dry season (March 2024) and in the rainy season (May 2024) in several neighborhoods of the city of Bouake.The hazard quotient (HQ) method and the additional lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) method made it possible to assess the health risks linked to the studied metals.Aluminum-related HQ values greater than 1 indicate that, in the long term, the risk of brain disorders is high for children and adults. The ILCR values obtained by ingestion varied between 10-4 and 10-5 for cadmium and between 10-3 et 10-4 for lead. ILCR values indicate low risks from cadmium and high risks from lead.