Hydrogeochemical Characteristics and Human Health Risk Assessment of Groundwater in a Industrial and Agricultural Area of Guanzhong Plain

The protection of groundwater environment is a critical foundation for the sustainable utilization of regional water resources. To address the issues of groundwater quality characteristics and human health risks in industrial and agricultural area of Guanzhong plain, this study systematically collected 38 groundwater samples and comprehensively applied mathematical statistics, Piper trilinear diagram, ion ratio analysis, and entropy-weighted water quality index (EWQI) methods to analyze hydrochemical characteristics and assess health risks. The results indicate that: ① The concentration order of cations is Na⁺＞Mg²⁺＞Ca²⁺＞K⁺, while the concentration order of anions is HCO₃⁻＞SO₄²⁻＞Cl⁻＞NO₃⁻, with the main hydrochemical types being Na-Cl-SO₄ and Na-Ca-HCO₃; ② The hydrochemical evolution is dominated by dolomite dissolution and cation exchange, and the distribution of NO₃⁻ concentrations is closely related to industrial activities; ③ EWQI evaluation shows that 92.1% of the samples are suitable for drinking, with poor-quality water mainly concentrated in the industrial agglomeration area in the central-southern part of the region; ④ Human health risk assessment of F⁻ and NO₃⁻ indicates that the non-carcinogenic health risks for different populations follow the order: children＞adult females＞adult males. It is recommended to reduce health risks through targeted measures such as optimizing industrial layout and controlling agricultural non-point source pollution. The research results provide a scientific basis for groundwater pollution prevention and sustainable management in the Loess Tableland region.