Analysis of the Causal Relationship between Chronic Waterborne Boron Intake and Population Health in the Saratov Region

Introduction: Elevated concentrations of boron in groundwater sources used for drinking water supply registered in a number of Russian regions may pose a potential health hazard and necessitate the assessment of risk from chronic oral exposure to this chemical.

Objective: To analyze the cause-and-effect relationship between chronic exposure to boron in drinking water from underground sources and the health status of the population in some municipal districts of the Saratov Region.

Materials and Methods: Data on incidence rates in the adult population of municipal districts of the Saratov Region for 2018–2024 were retrieved from the annual reporting form No. 12. Boron concentrations in drinking water were determined in accordance with the requirements of the Russian standard GOST 31949–2012. The causal relationship between waterborne boron levels and disease rates was analyzed using the Spearman’s rank correlation in Microsoft Excel with a significance level set at 0.05.

Results: We established that in 2018–2024, boron concentrations in drinking water of several municipal districts of the Saratov Region ranged from 0.88 to 2.19 mg/L (1.8–4.4 MAC). The correlation analysis between waterborne boron levels and the health status of the local population revealed no statistically significant relationship (p > 0.05). Combined with the estimated public health risk (HQ ≤ 0.3) from chronic oral boron intake with drinking water at the established concentrations, this indicates the absence of a causal relationship between chronic boron exposure and disease incidence in the population.

Conclusion: Our findings prove the absence of adverse health effects of chronic boron intake with drinking water in the local population of the municipal districts of the Saratov Region.

1. Gharekhani M, Nadiri AA, Khatibi R, et al. Quantifying the groundwater total contamination risk using an inclusive multi-level modelling strategy. J Environ Manage. 2023;332:117287. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117287

2. Levakova IV, Arustamov EA. Analysis of strategic groundwater resources in the Moscow region. Otkhody i Resursy. 2019;6(3):11. (In Russ.) doi: 10.15862/17ECOR319

3. Paramonova VA, Ulyanov IV. Hygienic impact assessment health pollution of drinking water population of the Ryazan region. Vestnik Nauki. 2021;1(8):153-161. (In Russ.)

4. Abramkin AV, Rakhmanov RS. To the question about the quality of drinking water system of centralized drinking water supply of Republic of Mordovia. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2017;(2(287)):41-43. (In Russ.) doi: 10.35627/2219-5238/2017-287-2-41-43

5. Vasilyev VV, Ryabinina TV, Perekusikhin MV, Vasilev EV. Provision of safe drinking water to the local population within the Clean Water Project implemented in the Penza Region. Zdorov’e Naseleniya i Sreda Obitaniya. 2021;(2(335)):35-42. (In Russ.) doi: 10.35627/22195238/2021-335-2-35-42

6. Lependin DG, Tertychnaya MA. [Ecological Hydrogeochemistry of Boron in Groundwater of the Voronezh Region.] Voronezh: Nauchnaya Kniga Publ.; 2024. (In Russ.)

7. Zakutin VP, Vavichkin AYu. [The main geochemical characteristics of boron in fresh groundwater.] Geoekologiya. Inzhenernaya Geologiya. Gidrogeologiya. Geokriologiya. 2010;(1):30-39. (In Russ.)

8. Abdelnour SA, Abd El-Hack ME, Swelum AA, Perillo A, Losacco C. The vital roles of boron in animal health and production: A comprehensive review. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2018;50:296-304. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2018.07.018

9. Ayranci DFE, Ozelmas U, Ayranci U. Histopathological changes on testes, liver, kidney and brain tissues in acute boric acid administration. J Pharm Res Int. 2021;33(47B):337-346. doi: 10.9734/JPRI/2021/v33i47B33133

10. Chetelat B, Gaillardet J. Boron isotopes in the Seine River, France: A probe of anthropogenic contamination. Environ Sci Technol. 2005;39(8):2486-2493. doi: 10.1021/es048387j

11. Borisov AI. [Materials for justifying the permissible level of boron in drinking water.] Gigiena i Sanitariya. 1976;(1):13-18. (In Russ.)

12. Tulakin AV, Tsyplakova GV, Ampleeva GP, Kozyreva ON, Pivneva OS. To issue of scientific substantiation of hygienic standards of boron in drinking bottled and natural mineral water. Sanitarnyy Vrach. 2014;(6):43-46. (In Russ.)

13. Çakır S. Uses of boron and boron toxicity. ETOXEC. 2022;2(2):115-121. Accessed December 17, 2025. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2616619

14. DeLeo PC, Stuard SB, Kinsky O, Thiffault C, Baisch B. Assessment of consumer exposure to boron in cleaning products: A case study of Canada. Crit Rev Toxicol. 2021;51(4):359-371. doi: 10.1080/10408444.2021.1911931

15. Bolan S, Wijesekara H, Amarasiri D, et al. Boron contamination and its risk management in terrestrial and aquatic environmental settings. Sci Total Environ. 2023;894:164744. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164744

16. Sayli BS, Tüccar E, Elhan AH. An assessment of fertility in boron-exposed Turkish subpopulations. Reprod Toxicol. 1998;12(3):297-304. doi: 10.1016/S0890-6238(98)00013-6

17. Duydu Y, Başaran N, Bolt HM. What can we learn from epidemiological studies on chronic boron exposure? Crit Rev Toxicol. 2023;53(3):168-180. doi: 10.1080/10408444.2023.2222151

18. Boyacioglu SO, Korkmaz M, Kahraman E, Yildirim H, Bora S, Ataman OY. Biological effects of tolerable level chronic boron intake on transcription factors. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2017;39:30-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2016.06.009

19. Robbins WA, Xun L, Jia J, Kennedy N, Elashoff DA, Ping L. Chronic boron exposure and human semen parameters. Reprod Toxicol. 2010;29(2):184-190. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2009.11.003

20. Başaran N, Duydu Y, Bacanlı M, et al. Evaluation of oxidative stress and immune parameters of boron exposed males and females. Food Chemical Toxicol. 2020;142:111488. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111488

21. Fail PA, Chapin RE, Price CJ, Heindel JJ. General, reproductive, developmental, and endocrine toxicity of boronated compounds. Reprod Toxicol. 1998;12(1):1-18. doi: 10.1016/S0890-6238(97)00095-6

22. Hadrup N, Frederiksen M, Sharma AK. Toxicity of boric acid, borax and other boron containing compounds: A review. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021;121:104873. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.104873

23. Filimon V, Bounegru AV, Butan S. Boron compounds: Challenges and applications in food industry. J Agroaliment Process Technol. 2023;29(2):97-102.

24. Niharika K, Sheeba S. Chemistry of boron in soil and management in different crops. Int J Plant Soil Sci. 2022;34(22):374-386. doi: 10.9734/ijpss/2022/v34i2231388

25. Biţă A, Scorei IR, Bălşeanu TA, et al. New insights into boron essentiality in humans and animals. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(16):9147. doi: 10.3390/ijms23169147

26. Duydu Y, Başaran N. Effects of boron exposure on human reproduction and development. Curr Opin Toxicol. 2023;34:100403. doi: 10.1016/j.cotox.2023.100403

27. Pampaloni B, Brandi ML. Mineral water as food for bone: An overview. Int J Bone Frag. 2022;2(2):48-55. doi: 10.57582/IJBF.220202.048