The San Juan-Taxco River system is situated in the Taxco mining district, which is a well-known international producer of silver, jewelry and precious metal handicrafts. The population and biota in the area have been affected by inappropriate disposal of anthropogenic activities that pollute the hydric resources and threaten their health and sustainability, since the inhabitants use the groundwater and river water for human consumption, domestic water supply and irrigation. This study was conducted to assess the pollution in the river system, human health implications and ecological risk in the aquatic environment (groundwater, surface water and superficial sediment). This evaluation was done on the base of hydrochemical, textural, mineralogical and geochemical analysis supported by calculation of human health risk using chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) with environmental and geochemical indices for ecological risk evaluation. The health risk assessment indicated increasing non-health carcinogenic risk to the exposed population to the river water and dug wells (HI > 1), and thus, these resources are not recommended for human consumption, domestic activities and prolonged ingestion. The results demonstrated a high degree of pollution due to toxic elements and geochemical indices. The Pollution Load Index indicated potential risk that will cause harmful biological effects in the riverine environment.

Spring water is important for human consumption, domestic use, agricultural activities, and ecotourism in the Buenavista de Cuéllar Aquifer (ABC), southern Mexico. The objective of this research was to assess the health risk from fecal coliforms, as well as the non-carcinogenic risk to human health for different age groups, by studying the oral and dermal routes. The analysis of the cartography of high-priority springs (the result of Multicriteria Evaluation (MCE)), access routes, and knowledge of the areas with high social insecurity risk enabled the selection of 20 springs to be sampled. In situ parameters were measured, major ions, fecal coliforms, and Potentially Toxic Elements (PTE). The non-carcinogenic health risk results indicated a higher risk by the oral route in children (average Hazard index (HI) value of 0.6371) and a higher risk by the dermal route in adults (average HI value of 1.2378). The highest dermal risks are in the south-southeast of the study area. On the other hand, the assessment of health risks due to fecal coliforms resulted in a medium risk for the dry season and a high risk for the rainy season. The results of this research will serve as a key reference for the management and protection of springs in order to preserve human health.

Mexico is among the countries that are facing the greatest water stress, where factors such as climate change, contamination of surface water, groundwater sources, and inefficient management have limited the availability of water resources. Consequently, new supply sources need to be implemented. Rainwater harvesting systems (RHS) are viable and sustainable alternatives, the implementation of which primarily depends on identifying suitable sites and applying technologies that are appropriate for different users. This research used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique in a GIS environment to select the optimal sites for designing RHS, taking into account hydrological, biophysical, and socioeconomic criteria. After determining the ideal sites, the study presents proposals and costs for the design of an urban and rural RHS based on the characteristics of the region and the needs of the community. The findings show that implementing RHS in the study area can be a practical, economical, and efficient alternative for water resource management, since these projects are aimed at sustainability.

A genotoxic study was conducted with 101 elementary school children (56 girls and 45 boys) in the 6–7, 8–9, and 10–12 age ranges from El Fraile rural community, which is located beside the El Fraile mine tailings in Taxco of Alarcon City, in northern Guerrero State, Mexico. For this, we used the alkaline comet assay in exfoliated buccal mucosa cells, scoring three genotoxic parameters: tail intensity, tail moment, and tail length. Additionally, we detected oxidative DNA damage through urinary 8-OHdG levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also evaluated a control group consisting of 101 children in the same age ranges from Chilpancingo City, Guerrero, who had never lived near mining zones. Genotoxic results showed that there was a significant increase in three genotoxic parameters and urinary 8-OHdG levels in the exposed children group compared with the control group. Analysis of MANOVA revealed that boys aged 8 and 9 years had higher DNA damage than girls from the same exposure group, and Spearman’s analysis identified a positive correlation between DNA damage and sex and age. This study provides the first valuable genotoxic data in children living in areas with environmental pollution.