TUN - The University Network | By Samuel O’Brient| February 2, 2018
Posted on February 2, 2018 Location: Tanzania Location: United KingdomA simple test to detect fluoride in drinking water quickly could prevent skeletal fluorosis, a crippling bone disease, according to a team of researchers from the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies and the Water Innovation and Research Centre (WIRC) at the University of Bath, UK.
The study is published in the journal Chemical Communications.
Fluoride is needed for healthy teeth [sic], but too much of it can weaken bones and cause deformities of the joints and spines, which can be particularly dangerous for children whose bone structures are still developing. Exposure to elevated fluoride has also been linked to reduced IQ in many studies, according to the Fluoride Action Network.
Elevated levels of fluoride are found in drinking water sources in parts of East Africa, India, China and North America. This is due to water dissolving fluoride when it passes over certain minerals.
While developed countries usually have systems in place to monitor and control fluoride levels, that is not the case in parts of the world where there is a lack of piped water or fluoride treatments, such as India and Tanzania, and people are forced to rely on untreated water from wells that can contain higher than recommended levels of fluoride.
Levels of fluoride in groundwater fluctuate with the weather, particularly when there’s heavy rain.
Levels of fluoride in groundwater fluctuate with the weather, particularly when there’s heavy rain.
The Test
Led by Dr. Simon Lewis, the team devised a simple color-changing test that detects high levels of fluoride quickly. When levels get too high, the color changes from purple to blue in a matter of minutes.
“Most water quality monitoring systems need a lab and power supply and a trained operator to work them,” Lewis said in a statement. “What we’ve developed is a molecule that simply changes colour in a few minutes which can tell you whether the level of fluoride is too high.”