Inferring the fluoride hydrogeochemistry and effect of consuming fluoride-contaminated drinking water on human health in some endemic areas of Birbhum district, West Bengal.

Abstract

This research work is carried out to evaluate fluoride (F) hydrogeochemistry and its effect on the population of two endemic villages of Birbhum district, West Bengal. Fluoride concentration in drinking water varies from 0.33 to 18.08 mg/L. Hydrogeochemical evolution suggests that ion-exchange mechanism is the major controlling factor for releasing F in the groundwater. Most of the groundwater samples are undersaturated with respect to calcite and fluorite. Health survey shows that out of 235 people, 142 people suffer from dental fluorosis. According to fluoride impact severity, almost 80 and 94 % people in an age group of 11–20 and 41–50 suffer from dental and skeletal fluorosis, respectively. Statistically drinking water F has a positive correlation with dental and skeletal fluorosis. Bone mineral density test reveals that 33 and 45 % of the studied population suffer from osteopenic and osteoporosis disease. IQ test also signifies that F has a bearing on the intelligence development of the study area school children. The existence of significant linear relationship (R ² = 0.77) between drinking water F and urinary F suggests that consumption of F-contaminated drinking water has a major control over urinary F (0.39–20.1 mg/L) excretion.

EXCERPTS:

Intelligence study among the students

This study used the IQ scale to measure intellectual ability, a testing method that minimizes the interference from ethnic, cultural and linguistic factors. Recent research (Shen 2001; Li et al. 2003; Chen and Chen 2002) has demonstrated that excess F uptake can damage the central nervous system and can pass through the placenta and blood–brain barriers to affect the synthesis and excretion of certain neurotransmitters and thus the various stages of child brain development, causing a retardation in the normal development of the nervous system which ultimately affects the intellectual ability of the child. Table 8 represents the descriptive statistics along with the marks regarding age of the students. This study indicates that students exposed to high F (children of Junidpur and Nowapara) show an average IQ of 21.17 ± 6.77 in comparison with low-F exposed students (children of Bilaspur, Mohula, Bhalian) having an average IQ of 26.41 ± 10.46. Of the studied students, 77.78 % have IQ score in the range of 25–74 %, suggesting the average rank of intelligence (Table 9). Statistical analysis (Z test) demonstrates that there is a significant (Z = 2.59) difference in IQ among the high- and low-F area student. Similar kind of observation has been reported by Chen et al. 2008.

Urinary F

It is generally accepted that urinary F is normally the best immediate indicator of environmental or occupational exposure to F. Usually higher urinary F levels are found in adults than in children. In adults and children, the fractional urinary excretion is influenced by pH (regulated by diet) and other factors. The data show that urinary F gradually decreases with body weight as well as with age also (Fig. 11). Maximum concentration of urinary F (9.95 mg/L) is noticed in children of 11–20 years. This may be because most of the children of this age group used to take F-contaminated groundwater after boiling. Therefore, consuming more F enriched drinking water ultimately reflected in the urinary F  excretion. Among adults, higher level of F is noticed in 31–40 years age group; thereafter, it gradually decreases. Multiple studies have calculated fractional urinary F excretion in adults and children, with more recent studies calculating fractional urinary F excretion in young healthy adults to be in the range of 78 % (Martinez-Mier 2011). Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.88, p\0.01) and regression equation reveal that urinary F is significantly correlated with drinking water F (R2 = 0.774) (Fig. 12). So it may be concluded that consumption of F-contaminated drinking water has a major role in urinary F excretion. Similar kind of observation has also been cited by Poureslami and Khazaeli 2010.

Conclusion

Ion-exchange mechanism in the alluvial aquifer of the study area is the major controlling factor for mobilizing F in the groundwater. Fluorosis in this region has been appeared as an alarming problem. Eighty percentage of children having 11–20 years of age suffer from dental fluorosis. According to visible symptom of skeletal fluorosis, pain in knee joint and hip joint is very common among the majority of the population of the study area. As a whole, prevalence of both dental and skeletal fluorosis is observed to be relatively higher in male in comparison with female. Most of the women having [30 years of age suffer from osteoporosis disease. Moreover, students of the study area have less IQ than students of non-contaminated area, demonstrating that consumption of F also has a major role with the intellectual development of children. It also reveals that urinary F has a significant positive  correlation with drinking water fluoride. view of the fact that F-contaminated drinking water in the study area is the main culprit for above-mentioned problems, there is an urgent need to improve water supplies and defluoridation of water sources. Apart from alternative source of drinking water supply, more intake of calcium-rich diet will also be  very much fruitful in combating fluorosis of the study area population.

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ABSTRACT ONLINE AT https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10653-015-9743-7
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