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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334627

Research Project: Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency and Mitigating Nutrient and Pathogen Losses from Dairy Production Systems

Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research

Title: Human health and groundwater

Author
item CANDELA, LUCILA - Technical University Of Catalonia
item PARKER, BETH - University Of Guelph
item LAPWORTH, DANIEL - British Geological Survey
item SMEDLEY, PAULINE - British Geological Survey
item DANERT, KERSTIN - Skat Foundation
item Borchardt, Mark

Submitted to: International Association of Hydrological Science
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/2016
Publication Date: 12/1/2016
Citation: Candela, L., Parker, B., Lapworth, D., Smedley, P., Danert, K., Borchardt, M.A. 2016. Human health and groundwater. International Association of Hydrological Science. www.iah.org.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The high quality of most groundwaters, consequent upon the self-purification capacity of subsurface strata, has long been a key factor in human health and wellbeing. More than 50% of the world’s population now rely on groundwater for their supply of drinking water – and in most circumstances a properly-located and soundly-engineered waterwell represents a low-cost, reliable and safe source. However, a few aquifer systems are rapidly connected to the land-surface, and are thus more vulnerable to pollution from most waterborne microbiological and chemical contaminants. Intensive agricultural land-cultivation employs heavy applications of nutrients and pesticides which can be leached from soils, and thus constitute the most widely-distributed groundwater pollution threat in many aquifers. Some synthetic organic chemicals are very resistant to degradation in most groundwater systems and can constitute a long-term health hazard – and this includes certain so-called ‘emerging organic contaminants. Serious natural contamination of groundwater (especially with arsenic and fluoride) can occur through rock dissolution in some situations.