Appraising Groundwater Quality and Health Risks from Contamination in a Semiarid Region of Northwest China

Groundwater Quality in Western China: Challenges and Paths Forward for Groundwater Quality Research in Western China

“…In this special issue, the research by Wang et al (2016) applied this technique to investigate and predict the possible impacts of acid mine drainage on groundwater quality. It is also interesting to notice that several papers (Wu and Sun 2015;Li et al 2016c;Chen et al 2016b;Zhou et al 2016) integrated water quality assessment and health risk assessment in their studies, which is, in my opinion, a true advancement for conventional water quality assessment and should be encouraged.…”

“…These studies are one step toward protecting groundwater quality and establishing harmonious relationships between society and the environment (Li et al 2016c). I invite more scholars and organizations in this research field to actively advance this important work.…”

“…In this special issue, several papers report that nitrogen pollution is solely or partially induced by agricultural activities (e.g., Wu and Sun 2015;Li et al 2016c;Chen et al 2016b). Different from previous studies, Jiang et al (2016) used isotopic signatures to determine that nitrate in groundwater may also be derived from atmospheric precipitation.…”

Mine Water Problems and Solutions in China

“…Mining can adversely affect the quantity and quality of groundwater and surface water in mining areas (Bebbington and Williams 2008;Vidic et al 2013), threatening the sustainability of water resources (Yang et al 2013) and the public health of local residents (Li et al 2016;Wu and Sun 2016). Ecological degradation and health problems due to mine waste discharges have been reported worldwide (Esteller et al 2015;Njinga and Tshivhase 2017;Wright et al 2017), attracting attention from both policy makers and researchers.…”

Effects of Biochar on Cadmium Accumulation in Rice and Cadmium Fractions of Soil: A Three-Year Pot Experiment

“…Heavy metal pollution is a global environmental problem (Arunakumara et al 2013;Tóth et al 2016) and causes concern in China regarding food security and public health (Duan et al 2016;Li et al 2016;Wu and Sun 2016). Cadmium (Cd) is considered the most toxic of the heavy metals .…”