Zahra Hamidi, Mehdi Ranjbaran, Fateme Qotbi Nia, Akram Bahojb, Hamid Karyab,
Volume 18, Issue 3 (Vol.18, No.3, Autumn 2022)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Chromium is a heavy metal that toxic to humans in small concentrations. This study aimed to evaluate the cancer risk of exposure to chromium in drinking water in rural areas of Qazvin province.
Methods: Water sampling was performed according to the standard methods for water and wastewater examination and chromium analysis was performed with ICP-OES. Exposure factors were determined using a validated questionnaire. Finally, the risk assessment of oral and dermal exposure to chromium was performed using the risk assessment technique. Monte Carlo simulation was also used to determine the uncertainty caused by point risk estimation.
Results: The mean concentration of chromium in drinking water was 2.8±5.04 μg/l. The excess lifetime cancer estimated by the Monte Carlo simulation was 30.8 cases per 100,000 in the studied population, indicating 100 cases of cancer in the population living in rural areas of the Qazvin province.
Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that although the concentration of chromium was lower than the maximum allowed in the national standard (0.05 mg/l), the risk of carcinogenesis was higher than the acceptable risk level of WHO (1 case per 100,000). Also, using the results obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation instead of point estimation provides higher confidence in risk management decisions.
