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Arsenic and fluoride are two natural components affecting human health. Long-term exposure to arsenic and fluoride, mainly through drinking water intake, can lead to arsenicosis and fluorosis. In this paper, we summarized the distribution and hydrochemical characteristics of high-arsenic and high-fluoride groundwater, and reviewed the arsenicosis and fluorosis distribution due to consumption of high-arsenic and high-fluoride groundwater in China. The results show that there are 20 major provinces//autonomous regions (about 60%) in China suffering from high-arsenic groundwater, and these high-arsenic groundwater provinces are mainly located in the fluvial/alluvial-lacustrine plains and basins located in arid/semi-arid regions and alluvial plains/basins and river deltas in humid/semi-humid regions. Drinking water arsenicosis has been found in 13 provinces/autonomous regions, with Shanxi and Inner Mongolia being the two most seriously affected areas. High-fluoride groundwater is widely distributed in north, northeast and northwest parts of China, occurring mainly in shallow groundwater. Fluorosis has been found in 29 provinces/autonomous regions. With the continuous implementation of water quality improvement projects, drinking water fluorosis and arsenic poisoning have been effectively controlled. However, the long-term maintenance and operation of the water quality improvement project need to be further strengthened.

The prevalence of hydatidosis due to animal husbandry development poses significant health risks to people in the Shiqu County of Sichuan Province, China, where people depend mainly on surface water for domestic uses, which, however, is contaminated due to the development of the animal husbandry. Therefore, groundwater which is protected by the vadose zone and has better quality is now proposed to replace the contaminated surface water as a new source of water supply in this area. To find a high-quality groundwater resource, a detailed investigation and assessment was carried out in this study. The occurrence and distribution of the hydatidosis caused by the consumption of the contaminated surface water were analyzed. The World Health Organization (WHO) and national standards were applied to assess the suitability of groundwater for drinking purpose, and SAR, RSC, %Na, PI were used to evaluate the groundwater quality for irrigation usage. In addition, the overall groundwater quality was assessed using an entropy water quality index (EWQI), and its relationships with the physicochemical indices were discussed using the multiple linear regression models to explore the most important physicochemical indices affecting the groundwater quality. Finally, some measures for the prevention and treatment of the hydatidosis disease were proposed. The results show that the groundwater found beneath the study area is generally in good to excellent quality with low salinity and major ions. Groundwater in all constructed wells except only one is suitable for domestic and irrigation purposes with majority of the samples falling into HCO3-Ca·Mg type. The overall groundwater quality is mainly affected by COD, SO42−, and TH. Measures to reduce the incidence of hydatidosis such as cutting off the hydatidosis exposure pathway and improving the sanitation system are proposed.