Fluoride Contamination of Groundwater and Toxicities in Dongargaon Block, Chhattisgarh, India

Endemic fluorosis diseases in the human and domestic animals in the Chhattisgarh state, Central India are observed. The prevalence of fluorosis is mainly due to the intake of large quantities of fluoride through contaminated water. Urinary fluoride is used as marker for assessing the fluorosis hazard. In this work, the quality of groundwater of Dongargaon block, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, India was examined by apportioning sources of contaminants by means of factor analysis. The water is hard and contaminated with high content of F-, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The extremely high concentrations of F- in the human and animal urines, ranging from 4.6 to 62 mg/L, were observed. The quality of groundwater was rated by means of various models for drinking and agricultural purposes. The fluoride toxicities in terms of fluorosis diseases in the human and animals of the study area were examined.