Hyderabad: A study has revealed that about 31 per cent in the pre-monsoon and 80 per cent of the post-monsoon groundwater sampling showed 1.5 to 4 mg per litre of fluoride content in the state.
A considerable amount of fluoride enters the human body through drinking water and excess fluoride can be toxic for health.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set the minimum and maximum limits of fluoride content for drinking water purposes at 0.5 and 1.5 mg/l, respectively.
The intake of elevated fluoride has a significant impact on the health of human beings. Immediate problems are seen in children’s teeth.
Excess fluoride leads to mottling of teeth, calcification of ligaments, and crippling of bones, says a WHO report.
As per the findings of the study published in the journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, the people from Telangana state are vulnerable to dental and skeletal fluorosis, due to the intake of high fluoride content in drinking water.
The elevated level of fluoride in groundwater after the monsoon season was because of the increase of mineral dissolution in the rainy season.
*Original article online at https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/280719