A study to investigate fluoride contamination and fluoride exposure dose assessment in lateritic zones of West Bengal, India

Abstract

To assess the status of severity of fluoride contamination in lateritic Bankura and Purulia districts of West Bengal, concentrations of fluoride in different water sources and agricultural field soils were investigated. The fluoride content (mg/l) was observed to differ with aquifer depths: 0.19-0.47 in dug wells, 0.01-0.17 in shallow tube wells, and 0.07-1.6 in deep tube wells. Fluoride within the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribed range (1.0-1.5 mg/l) was estimated only in ~17% of the total collected water samples while ~67% showed <0.7 mg/l fluoride and thus may impede in the production and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones of the residents, especially children. Fluoride in water was found to be significantly correlated (r = 0.63) with pH. The exposure dose of fluoride (mg/kg/day) from drinking water in infants, children, and adults was estimated in the ranges 0.02-0.53, 0.01-0.24, and 0.01-0.14, respectively against the standard value of 0.05. A clear risk of dental fluorosis is apparent in infants and children of the study area. The fluoride in soil (55-399 mg/kg) was detected to be significantly correlated with the fluoride content in deep tube wells and soil pH (r = 0.56 and 0.71, respectively). The relationships of soil fluoride with total hardness and that with phosphate were not significant. There is a high possibility of bioaccumulation of fluoride from contaminated soil and water of the study area to cultivated crops. This will enhance the quantity of fluoride intake into human food chain in addition to drinking water pathway.

Geospatial Analysis of Fluoride Concentration in Groundwater in Puruliya District, West Bengal

“…Fluorine can form both covalent and electrovalent bonds with other elements, and its extreme electronegativity makes the covalent bonds strongly polar (ATSDR, 2001, Weinstein & Davison, 2004. Groundwater concentration of fluoride depends on the nature of rock and solubility of fluoridebearing minerals, the contact time between rock and mineral with water circulation and climate of the region (Samal et al, 2015, Freckan,1992. High fluoride concentration in groundwater is found in the geo-geographical regions formed by igneous and metamorphic rocks in the form of granites and gneisses (Jha et al, 2013).…”

Evaluation of Physicochemical Characteristics in Drinking Water Sources Emphasized on Fluoride: A Case Study of Yancheng, China

“…The US Public Health Service (USPHS) recently recommend optimal fluoride concentrations of 0.7 mg L −1 in community water systems, which can prevent dental caries but also lower the risk of dental fluorosis [12,14]. Since low and high contents of fluoride in drinking water both pose threats on human health, it is of great importance to evaluate the F − content in drinking water sources accurately [15,16].…”

Fluoride Exposure and Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment Through Different Agricultural Food Crops From Fluoride Endemic Bankura and Purulia Districts of West Bengal, India

“…In West Bengal, about 12% of populations from eight districts, out of 23 districts, are affected due to fluoride exposure (PHED, 2007;Chatterjee et al, 2008). The fluoride toxicity is considerably higher in the western part of West Bengal mainly covering three districts, namely, Bankura, Purulia, and Birbhum, compared to the eastern parts due to its geographical location (Mondal and Nath, 2015;Samal et al, 2015). Moreover, semiarid and arid climatic conditions occur along with the presence of lateritic soil throughout the area (Mondal and Gupta, 2015).…”