Risk assessment of micropollutants in Astana urban water system

Risk assessment of micropollutants in Astana urban water system

Project goal: To determine the concentrations of micro-pollutants at different stages of Astana's urban water supply system, to study their impact on human health and the environment, and to evaluate the effectiveness of micro-pollutants removal using existing water/wastewater and waste disposal technologies.

Project description: An urban water supply system is a complex of structures designed to extract and purify raw water, distribute purified water to consumers, and collect wastewater with subsequent purification and discharge. Recent sediment measurements from Astana water treatment plants have shown the content of high concentrations of rare metals from the 4th to 6th periods (V: 279, Ga: 67, As: 203, Rb: 164, Sr: 549, Y: 44.5, Zr: 181, Nb: 9.9, Ba: 358, Yb: 7.6, Pb: 48 ppm (parts per million)) and radioactive U (281 ppm) in % up to ppm. Even in urban tap water, the levels of these chemical compounds in ppb reached or exceeded international drinking water standards. The concentration of U in Astana's tap water often exceeded the WHO drinking water standard of 2 micrograms/L (ppb). Despite the fact that Astana residents usually do not drink tap water, they can potentially suffer from skin contact and during daily activities. In these circumstances, we could ask some critical questions about the health of citizens and their surrounding water environment in order to avoid potential environmental disasters.
This study will provide (1) the necessary knowledge about the concentrations of micro-pollutants in Astana's urban water supply system and (2) an in-depth understanding of whether the presence of micro-pollutants poses a serious risk to human health and the environment. The obtained research results can serve as a basis for the development of water supply and wastewater treatment systems in Kazakhstan and around the worl study will provide (1) the necessary knowledge about the concentrations of micro-pollutants in Astana's urban water supply system and (2) an in-depth understanding of whether the presence of micro-p water.

Project facilitators: PI: Woojin Lee

Realisation period: 2024-2026

Expected results: The research program is expected to achieve the following publication results, as shown in the figure:
- at least 3 (three) articles and (or) reviews in peer-reviewed scientific publications in the scientific field of the project, indexed in the expanded Science Citation Index and included in the 1st (first), 2nd (second) and (or) 3rd (third) quartiles by impact factor in the Web of Science database and (or) having a citation percentile in the Scopus database of at least 60 (sixty);
- at least 1 (one) article or review in a peer-reviewed foreign or domestic publication recommended by the KOKSNVO;
- or at least 2 (two) articles and (or) reviews in peer-reviewed scientific publications indexed in the expanded Science Citation Index and included in the 1st (first) and (or) 2nd (second) quartiles by impact factor in the Web of Science database and (or) having a percentile citation rating in the Scopus database are not less than 70 (seventy);
- or at least 1 (one) article or review in a peer-reviewed scientific publication indexed in the Expanded Science Citation Index and included in the 1st (first) quartile of the Web of Science database or having a citation percentile in the Scopus database of at least 90 (ninety).

Methodology: The risk assessment methodology developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) will be used to assess the effects of water emissions and wastewater precipitation on the human body in various exposure pathways. The impact assessment determines the correct impact scenario, which significantly depends on the nature of the pollution. It is crucial to identify the ecological environments or systems (soil or water) contaminated with the target pollutants and how people may be exposed to them, i.e. the routes of exposure. Depending on the target types of emissions, the routes considered in the assessment are oral ingestion of soil particles, skin contact with soil, inhalation of airborne dust, etc. The study also takes into account the accidental ingestion of small amounts of soil with hands, food, and water. and dust. Skin contact with the ground can occur as a result of outdoor sports or gardening, which leads to soil adsorption on the skin. Airborne dust can potentially contain soil particles and, consequently, heavy metals sorbed on them. As for water, bathing or drinking scenarios are common. The swimming scenario refers to surface waters and involves ingestion of water and skin contact, whereas the drinking scenario is associated with groundwater. Thus, revenue can be estimated in three potential ways: ingestion by mouth (Io), ingestion by skin (Id) and ingestion by inhalation of dust (Ii).