doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2026.17.2.1575
Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Drinking Water Sources: Waste Water Management
Peni Pujiastuti1,*
,
Iskahar Iskahar2 ,
Syarwani Canon3 ,
Sajidah Putri4 ,
Wisber Wiryanto5 ,
Kassem Jumma6
- 1Department of Chemical Analyst, Faculty of Engineering, Setia Budi University, Solo, Indonesia
- 2Department of Civil, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Purwokerto, Indonesia
- 3Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia
- 4Directorate General of Fiscal Balance, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- 5Research Organization for Governance, Economy and Community Welfare, Research Center for Public Policy, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia
- 6Department of Computers Techniques Engineering, College of Technical Engineering, The Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
- Manuscript receivedOctober 23, 2025
- revisedNovember 17, 2025
- acceptedDecember 15, 2025
- publishedApril 7, 2026
Abstract
This study aims to assess the potential health risksassociated with heavy metals in water supply and its relationshipwith wastewater treatment in Jakarta's industrial area. Fortysamples were collected from 20 different points, includinggroundwater, surface water, and wastewater effluent, duringthe dry and wet seasons of 2024. The concentration of five heavymetals—lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg),and chromium (Cr)—was determined using an InductivelyCoupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument.Health risk assessment was conducted following theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocol. While theoverall mean concentration of all metals was within the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) permissible limit, lead exceededthe tolerable limit in 25% of the samples. Seasonal variation wasstatistically significant (p < 0.05), with metal concentrationsduring the dry season being, on average, 35% higher than in thewet season. The highest metal concentration was found inwastewater effluent, which was 2.8 times higher than ingroundwater. The carcinogenic risk assessment identifiedarsenic as a high-risk contaminant, with a mean risk of 2.3 × 10⁻⁴for adults. The non-carcinogenic risk was significantly higherfor children (Hazard Index, HI = 6.1) compared to adults(HI = 2.9). A strong correlation between lead and cadmium(r = 0.85) suggested a common emission source. This studyunderscores the urgent need to upgrade wastewatermanagement systems and implement protective measures forvulnerable populations, particularly children.
Keywords
- heavy metals
- drinking water
- health risk
- wastewater
- water pollution
- Jakarta
How to Cite
Peni Pujiastuti, Iskahar Iskahar, Syarwani Canon, Sajidah Putri, Wisber Wiryanto, and Kassem Jumma, "Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Drinking Water Sources: Waste Water Management," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 146-153, 2026. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2026.17.2.1575
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).