Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Typical Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the Groundwater of the Shenyang Section of the Liaohe River Basin

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in groundwater may pose potential threats to the ecosystem and human health, especially through the drinking water pathway. There are no reports on the pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of typical EDCs in the groundwater of the Shenyang section of the Liaohe River Basin. In order to study the pollution situation, spatial distribution and health risks of typical EDCs in the groundwater of the Shenyang section of the Liaohe River Basin, 93 groups of groundwater samples were collected. The contents of three typical EDCs, namely atrazine, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and carbofuran, were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The pollution of EDCs was evaluated by the improved Nemerow comprehensive index method. Principal component analysis was used to analyze the pollution sources of EDCs. The health risks of the three EDCs were evaluated according to Technical Guide for Environmental Health Risk Assessment of Chemical Exposure. The results showed that the total detection rate of the three EDCs was 25.8%, with atrazine (21.51%)>DEHP (5.38%)>carbofuran (2.15%), and the detection rate of EDCs in shallow groundwater was higher than that in deep groundwater. The improved Nemerow comprehensive pollution grade in the study area was Grade I, indicating slight pollution. The spatial distribution of EDCs showed significant regional differences, mostly distributed in the junction zone between the densely industrialized areas and agricultural areas. The results of principal component source analysis revealed that the pollution sources of atrazine and carbofuran were agricultural production activities, while the pollution of DEHP was the result of the combined effects of agricultural and industrial production activities. The results of health risk assessment showed that the total carcinogenic risk indices of the three EDCs for both adults and children were <1×10⁻⁶, indicating no carcinogenic risk, and the total non-carcinogenic health risk indices were all <1, within the acceptable range, indicating no non-carcinogenic health risk. The BRIEF REPORT is available for this paper at http://www.ykcs.ac.cn/en/article/doi/10.15898/j.ykcs.202502020015.