Journal of Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers ISSN:1738-3692(Print) 2093-7709(Online) 한국농공학회논문집

Safety of reclaimed wastewater irrigation needs to be evaluated to promote public health. Quantitative microbial and toxic risk assessment was conducted to identify the level of risk for farmland workers who use reclaimed wastewater and groundwater in Jeju island. Microbial risk through inhalation and ingestion exposure was below acceptable level (less than 10^-3) of 7.07×10^-6 for reclaimed wastewater and 9.99×10^-8 for groundwater irrigation worker. Aggregate exposure risk of Ni, As and Cu was most contributable to overall risk in both reclaimed wastewater and groundwater irrigation plot. High cumulative exposure risk was estimated through non-dietary soil ingestion and dermal contact of soil, due to the high concentration of As, Cu and Ni in farmland soil. Overall toxic risk was 2.68×10^-4 for reclaimed water and 2.39×10^-4 for groundwater irrigation, which could not meet acceptable toxic risk level of 10^-6. Further efforts, such as provide personal protective equipments or public health education, need to be implicated to reduce adverse health risk.