UTILIZATION OF FLUORIDE WATER AND ITS HEALTH CONSEQUENCES: A HEALTH SURVEY IN PENNAGARAM TALUK, DHARMAPURI PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020) DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU UTILIZATION OF FLUORIDE WATER AND ITS HEALTH CONSEQUENCES: A HEALTH SURVEY IN PENNAGARAM TALUK, DHARMAPURI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU M. Kalaiselvan Ph.D, Research Scholar, Post Graduate and Research Department of Geography, Government Arts College (A), Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Kumbakonam, India. Dr. S. Vadivel Assistant Professor, Post Graduate and Research Department of Geography, Government Arts College (A), Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Kumbakonam, India M. Kalaiselvan, Dr. S. Vadivel: Utilization Of Fluoride Water And Its Health Consequences: A Health Survey In Pennagaram Taluk, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu -- Palarch’s Journal Of Archaeology Of Egypt/Egyptology 17(7), 1-14. ISSN 1567- 214x Key words: Fluoride Water, Health Problem, Factor Analysis, Water Quality ABSTRACT Background: Safe and pure water is essential for all people. The natural property of underground water depends upon the temperature, rainfall, parental rocks of an area. This natural phenomenon induces the fluoride content in Pennagaram taluk. It is obvious that those who consume the fluoride contented underground water are getting many types of health problems in long run. In Pennagaram taluk the fluoride concentrations is >1mg/l which is harmful to health. With this background, this present study examines the consumption of fluoride water and its health consequences in Pennagaram taluk. Objectives: The objectives of the present study is to examine 1) the consumption of water 2) to analyse the impact of Fluoride water on human health 3) to investigate the drinking water problem and 4) to scrutinize the psychological condition of people in Pennagaram taluk, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu. Methodology: Primarily, the fluoride content is identified in 30 water sample. Secondly, information was collected randomly from 900 people through questionnaire survey using 5 point Likert scale. Further, the collected information has been transformed into SPSS. Finally, factor analysis was employed. Results: The findings of present study validate that the consumption of fluoride water creates many health problems in this region. The people are aware of fluoride impacts on health and drinking fluoride content water intentionally because of scarcity of water. They feel discomfort while drinking this water. For these reasons people like to move away from this place. However, to overcome the fluoride problem the government authority supplies non-fluoride water by the Integrated Hogenakkal-Cauvery River project for a short period of time. However, for a long period of time the people of this region are using underground fluoride water. 12510 UTILIZATION OF FLUORIDE WATER AND ITS HEALTH CONSEQUENCES: A HEALTH SURVEY IN PENNAGARAM TALUK, DHARMAPURI PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020) DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU INTRODUCTION Safe and pure water is essential for all people. The natural property of underground water depends upon the temperature, rainfall, parental rocks of an area. These natural phenomenon are induces the fluoride content in Pennagaram taluk. It is obvious that those who consume the fluoride contented underground water are getting many types of health problems in long run. India is one of the countries in the world where about 62 million people including 6 million children are affected with dental, skeletal and other types of fluorosis problems. According to Indian standard the maximum permissible limit of fluoride is <1mg/l, but many places of Pennagaram taluk has >1mg/l of fluoride level and it is harmful to health. Hence, this present study examines the consumption of fluoride water and its health consequences in Pennagaram taluk. REVIEW In India, north-western and southern states are severely affected with fluorosis [1,2]. Weathering of rocks rich in fluoride is the common natural cause for the fluoride in groundwater. Fluoride epidemic has been reported mostly in granite and gneissic geological formation of different states in India [3,1,4]. The high fluorides occur in top aquifer system and have reached to endemic level in most of the states [1]. Excessive exposure to fluoride in drinking water can give rise to a number of adverse effects ranging from mild dental fluorosis to crippling skeletal fluorosis [5]. Long exposure to fluoride in water are known to cause health hazards including skeletal and dental fluorosis, dental caries, teeth mottling as well as deformation of bones both in humans and animals [6]. When patients came from an area with high fluoride levels in the water, fluoride toxicity should be suspected when there were complaints of repeated miscarriages or still births, male infertility and dental fluorosis with discolouration of the enamel of the front teeth, the central or lateral incisors of the upper and lower jaws [7]. Women are at four times greater risk of developing osteoporosis related hip fractures than males [8]. The advanced stage of fluoride intoxication results in crippling fluorosis. The Crippling deformities are kyphosis, flexion deformity of the hips, flexion deformity of the knees and fixation of the chest in the position of inspiration due to calcification of cartilages. The quadriplegic patient bent with kyphosis and with restricted movements of his spine, with contractures of hips and knees [9]. The cause of ventricular fibrillation and eventual death are often encountered in cases of fluoride poisoning [10]. The irritation of the gastric mucosa is attributed to fluoride forming hydrofluoric acid in the acidic environment of the stomach [11,12].The behaviour of fluoride in hormone chemistry and to the possible clinical disturbances of endocrine function, particularly the thyroid gland [13]. The neurological manifestations have been exclusively reported in India from the fluoride regions [14, 15, 16,17]. Freni found that a statistically significant association between decreasing total fertility rate and increasing fluoride levels in municipal drinking water [18]. Another study found significantly decreased serum testosterone levels in 30 men diagnosed with skeletal fluorosis [19]. Several epidemiological studies are available on the possible association between fluoride in drinking water and cancer rates 12511 UTILIZATION OF FLUORIDE WATER AND ITS HEALTH CONSEQUENCES: A HEALTH SURVEY IN PENNAGARAM TALUK, DHARMAPURI PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020) DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU among the population. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluated these studies on fluoride and carcinogenticity in humans [20,21]. With this backdrop the present study analyse the consumption of fluoride water and its health consequences in people of Pennagaram taluk. STUDY AREA The Pennagaram taluk is chosen as a study area for present study. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 234,406 with 123,101 males and 111,305 females. There were 904 women for every 1000 men. The taluk had a literacy rate of 57.62 per cent. Child population in the age group below 6 was 13,967 Males and 12,370 Females. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the present study is to examine 1) the consumption of water 2) to analyse the impact of Fluoride water on human health 3) to investigate the drinking water problem and 4) to scrutinize the psychological condition of people in Pennagaram taluk, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu. METHODOLOGY Primarily, the fluoride content areas are identified in 30 water sample (village’s bore wells). Secondly, to achieve the objectives of present study the information were collected randomly from 900 people who lives in high fluoride content (>1.0mg/l) areas through questionnaire survey using 5 point Likert scale. The questionnaire schedule contains socio-economic backgrounds, water supply, health problem of fluoride water, health awareness of fluoride and psychological variables. Further, the collected information has been transformed into 68 variables and entered into SPSS. Finally, factor analysis was employed and 37 out of 68 variables were extracted with nine dimensions. The factor loading matrix was used to describe the association and the variance of each attributes with all other variables. RESULTS The factor analysis for this study is very useful in sorting the major dimensions of health effects of drinking fluoride water on people of Pennagaram taluk. Nine factors are extracted with a total variance of 51.482 per cent. An Eigen value of 1.0 is taken as a cut-off point to launch the number of factors to be extracted. The correlation matrix has shown the occurrence of several coefficients above 0.4. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value is a Measure of Sampling Adequacy (MSA). As a result, the KMO value (Table 1) is 0.787 (Kaiser, 1970) exceeding the recommended value of 0.6 (Andony and Rao, 2007) and the Barlett’s Test of Sphericity value is 0.001 reached statistical significance and supporting the factorability of the correlation matrix. Principal components analysis revealed the presence of nine components with Eigen values exceeding 1.0. Table 1 KMO and Bartlett's Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling 0.787 Adequacy. Approx. Chi-Square 7719.453 12512 UTILIZATION OF FLUORIDE WATER AND ITS HEALTH CONSEQUENCES: A HEALTH SURVEY IN PENNAGARAM TALUK, DHARMAPURI PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020) DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU Bartlett's Test of df 666 Sphericity Sig. 0.001 Factor I: Physical Problems of Drinking Fluoride Water Water is precious and it is essential for life on earth. At present, getting