The Impact of Drinking Water Quality From Non-Centralized Water Supply Sources on the Population Morbidity in the Region of Zhytomyr (Ukraine)

Poor quality drinking water can cause various human diseases, particularly affecting rural populations relying on non-centralized water supply sources, where water quality is often untested and does not meet sanitary standards. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the content of nitrates and total iron in drinking water from non-centralized water supply sources in the rural settlements of Zhytomyr Oblast of Ukraine, as well as to rigorously investigate the potential health impacts associated with these contaminants. Statistical processing was conducted using advanced statistical methods in the R programming language, and geographic data visualization was performed using the ArcGIS Pro software so as to enhance the interpretation of results. The correlation analysis revealed significant associations: nitrates are positively correlated with 33.3% of all disease types, while iron is linked to 94% of the same, indicating a substantial link between water quality and public health outcomes. For nitrates, the average correlation level was characteristic of prostate disease (R2 = 0.33). Weak associations were found for stomach diseases, including gastritis and duodenitis (R2 = 0.25), and the number of children born with congenital defects (R2 = 0.05). A medium degree of association between iron content in drinking water and colorectal cancer (R2 = 0.45) and epilepsy (R2 = 0.31) was found. Additionally, iron has a weak effect on various other diseases. This study contributes novel insights into the connection between nitrate and total iron concentrations in drinking water and the incidence of diseases in the rural population, establishing a crucial foundation for future epidemiological research. The findings underscore the urgent need for policy interventions and public health strategies aimed at improving water quality and safeguarding community health in the region.