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1.6.1.1 Health Impact

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Permissible limit of Fe in drinking water prescribed by WHO (2011) and BIS (2012) is 300 μg/L. The use of contaminated groundwater having iron concentration above the permissible limit is highly objectionable as it causes health disorders. The reported health disorders due to Fe contaminated groundwater are disorders of the skin, digestive, respiratory and nervous system, kidney, spinal cord, and heart, as well as mental imbalance, miscarriage, and cancer (Achary 2014b). Deficiency of iron causes anaemia, whereas prolonged consumption of drinking water with a high concentration of iron may lead to a liver disease called hemosiderosis. The water with high iron concentration may seem brownish because of the precipitation of ferric hydroxide and taste astringent. The USEPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) maintains that though drinking water having iron may be consumed safely, iron‐bearing sediments may comprise trace impurities or harbour bacteria that might be damaging. Iron has nutritional value for human beings as it plays an important role in the formation of haemoglobin protein, enzymes, and also used in cellular metabolism. Lesser storage of iron in the body causes the iron deficit, anaemia, fatigue, and affects the immune system. Iron deficiency in children negatively disturbs mental growth, resulting in irritability and concentration ailment. Chronic consumption of surplus amounts of iron results in an ailment termed iron overload, which occurs due to gene mutation. Iron overload, if untreated, can lead to haemochromatosis, a severe illness that could harm the body's organs. Early symptoms of haemochromatosis are fatigue, weight loss, and joint pain; when not cured appropriately it can cause heart disease, liver complications, and diabetes (Garduño et al. 2011; CGWB 2014; Duggal et al. 2017).

Groundwater Geochemistry

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