GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Heavy metals can contaminate private wells through groundwater movement and surface water seepage and run-off. People that consume high levels of heavy metals risk acute and chronic toxicity, liver, kidney, and intestinal damage, anemia, and cancer.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most of the PHMs contain arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni), (Papazotos, 2021), which are released into groundwater sources as a result of natural and anthropogenic actions (Chen et al., 2020; Nawab et al., 2021).

Detailed explanation-3: -Heavy metals can enter a water supply by industrial and consumer waste, or even from acidic rain breaking down soils and releasing heavy metals into streams, lakes, rivers, and groundwater.

Detailed explanation-4: -Heavy metals released to the atmosphere during mining, smelting, and other industrial processes return to the land through dry and wet deposition. Discharge of wastewaters such as industrial effluents and domestic sewage add heavy metals to the environment.