Flourosis and Flouride Removal: What is Fluoride?

Fluoride is one of the chemical compounds that are present in the water and soil. These fluorides are organic and inorganic compounds containing the element Fluorine.

How does Fluoride enter the Water?
Fluoride gets mixed with water when leaching from rocks takes place and these rocks are in contact with water. In ground water, Fluoride is present in traces in the form of Calcium and/or Magnesium Fluoride.

Fluoride levels in Water
The maximum permissible limit of Fluoride quantity in drinking water is 1.5 mg/l. Fluoride level above this poses serious health risks to humans and causes irreversible damage to plants. Many states in India such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Kerala have high quantities of Fluoride in drinking water.

A high concentration of 5.2 mg/l has been reported in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh, 15 mg/l in Nawabganj Block in Uttar Pradesh and 18 mg/l in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

High quantities of Fluoride enter the shallow zone groundwater due to the geochemical disposition in the vicinity of the groundwater extraction structures. The toxicity of fluoride is also influenced by high ambient temperature, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium contents in the drinking water.