HYDERABAD: People living close to oil and gas drilling sites in East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh are at risk of health issues, including cancer, due to toxic concentrations of heavy metals in soil, according to a study by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, and Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad.
The study, ‘Spatial distribution, sources and health risk assessment of heavy metals in topsoil around oil and natural gas drilling sites, Andhra Pradesh, India,’ revealed disconcerting levels of heavy metals arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc, in the soil near drilling sites.
The study highlighted a persistent significant risk, especially due to high concentrations of arsenic, lead, and chromium. These heavy metals, often dubbed silent killers, pose a dual threat to villagers.
The other probable source of contamination by heavy metals could be attributed to agriculture, the study stated.
The Total Carcinogenic Risk (TCR) calculated for arsenic and chromium was found to be above the threshold value set by the US EPA (United States Environment Protection Agency).
Non-carcinogenic risks due to lead and chromium were found to be higher as their hazard index value was above the recommended limit of one.
The study also highlighted the potential for heavy metals to leach into groundwater. “Villagers, unknowingly, could find themselves consuming a deadly cocktail, further exacerbating the health risks,” the study stated.
While the ingestion of heavy metal-contaminated water might result in severe health hazards, it can also cause non-carcinogenic health problems, including malfunction of internal organs, gastrointestinal dysfunction, renal dysfunction, neurological diseases, skin lesions, vascular damage, immune system malfunction and birth abnormalities, it said.
