Available Online at http://www.recentscientific.com International Journal of CODEN: IJRSFP (USA) Recent Scientific International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Research Vol. 9, Issue, 1(G), pp. 23306-23314, January, 2018 ISSN: 0976-3031 DOI: 10.24327/IJRSR Research Article EVALUATING FLUORIDE CONTAMINATION IN GROUND WATER SAMPLES OF DHARMAPURI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU, INDIA Thirupathi S1 and Muniyan M2* 1Department of Zoology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2Department of Zoology, Periyar Govt. Arts College, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2018.0901.1442 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Water is the one of the most precious resource in the earth. In that groundwater is the major resource Received 17th October, 2017 of fresh water to all living organism. Most of the rural and urban population uses groundwater for st domestic purposes. The people living in rural areas are more exposed since there is no centrally Received in revised form 21 supplied treated water in these areas. Instead, groundwater accessed through dug wells, is their only November, 2017 Accepted 05th December, 2017 water supply. Many people are not at all aware of the water borne diseases affecting their health due Published online 28th January, 2018 to high concentration of fluoride in drinking water which causes dental and skeletal fluorosis to humans, Based on (WHO, 2008) Standard Fluoride beyond desirable amounts (0.6 to 1.5 mg/l) in groundwater causes serious health hazards to humans and irreversible damage to plants. Ground Key Words: water samples of open wells and bore wells collected from different locations in Dharmapuri Taluk Fluoride Contamination, Dental fluorosis, in Dharmapuri District were analyzed for their physico-chemical characteristics. This study provide Ground water Quality, physicochemical an overview of the fluoride content in drinking water and the extent of human exposure to different parameters, Water Quality Index, level of fluoride contamination in the blocks of Dharmapuri district, Tamilnadu. Most of the people Dharmapuri district. in these area suffer from dental and skeletal flurosis such as mottling of teeth, osteosclerosis of pelvis and vertebral column, chronic joint pain. The ground water samples were studied during pre- monsoon and post-monsoon seasons from twelve different villages. The present study was undertaken to characterize the physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, Total Alkalinity (TA), Electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, Calcium Hardness (CH), Magnesium Hardness (MH), Total Hardness (TH), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Solids (TS) and fluoride. Each parameter was compared with the standard permissible limit of the parameter as prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO). The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) shows that majority of samples have the border line corrosive nature with negative LSI values. The study reveals that in few villages, water has high hardness and fluoride content. Hence, ground water must be used for drinking after proper treatments viz., softening and defluoridation. Copyright © Thirupathi S and Muniyan M, 2018, this is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. INTRODUCTION to be studied when the overall focus is sustainable development keeping mankind at focal point, since it is directly linked with Water is an essential natural resource for sustaining life and human welfare. (Saxena and Saxena, 2013) environment but over the last few decades the water quality is deteriorating due to it’s over exploitation. Water quality is The degradation of water quality is mainly due to the essential parameter to be studied when the overall focus is increasing population, urbanization, industrialization and over- sustainable development keeping mankind at focal point. Water utilization of water resources. The ground water is getting is the precious gift of nature to all the living beings for polluted because of disposal of industrial effluents, hazardous sustenance. The suitability of water for domestic, agricultural wastes, sewage disposal and deep percolation of pesticides and and industrial purposes mainly depends on the chemical fertilizers from activated fields. (Meenakshi et al., 2006). composition of surface and subsurface. Ground water is the Fluoride is an essential trace element for human metabolism. major and preferred source for drinking all over the world even Its concentration in drinking water is the prime factor to decide though its contribution is very less (only 0.6%) to the total whether fluoride is beneficial or harmful. In India, research water resources on earth. Water quality is essential parameter on the assessment of water quality especially with reference to fluoride has been carried out by various workers (Suthar et *Corresponding author: Muniyan M Department of Zoology, Periyar Govt. Arts College, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India Thirupathi S and Muniyan M., Evaluating Fluoride Contamination In Ground Water Samples of Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu, India al.,2008; Yadav et al., 2009; Jha et al., 2010; Patil et al., 2010; Since there were no major studies in the recent past, the present Meta, 2010). Ingestion of excess of fluoride, most commonly in study was carried out to understand the present status of the drinking water, can cause fluorosis which affects the teeth and qualitative analysis of some physicochemical parameters of bone. ground water quality in Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu. Among the water quality parameters, fluoride ion exhibits MATERIALS AND METHODS unique properties in drinking water that its concentration in optimum dose is advantageous to health whereas its overdose Study Area affects the health (Saravanan et al., 2008). High fluoride The study area Dharmapuri District, Tamilnadu is situated concentration in the water sources is a major concern for the 12.12° N 78.26° E, which is bounded by Tiruvannamalai and mankind. The properties of Calcium, Sodium and Fluoride are Villupuram Districts on the east, Salem District on the South, interrelated that the higher the fluoride level, cause the lower is Krishnagiri District on the north and Cauvery River on the that of Calcium. This may be as a result of the substitution of west. The famous Hogenakkal waterfalls is in Dharmapuri Na by Ca as well as due to high affinity of Fluoride ion towards district. The sub basin area is bounded by Harur, Palakodu, Calcium (Diabl et al., 2005). Pennagaram, Dharmapuri, Pappireddipatti Taluks. Dharmapuri Presence of various hazardous elements like arsenic, nitrate, district goes through a hot climate during the summer (March- sulphate, fluoride, other heavy metals etc., in underground May) with a temperature upto 36°C and in winter it varies water have been reported from different parts of India and between 16°C - 12°C. The district has an average annual world.(Deepti Mishra et al.,2009; Khaiwal Ravindra et al., rainfall of about 895.56 mm. 2007; Mufeed and Batarseh, 2006). A systematic study of Water samples collection correlation of the water quality parameters not only helps to assess the overall water quality but also to quantify relative Ground water samples were collected from 24 different villages concentration of various pollutants in water and provide of Dharmapuri district as given in the Table 4. Ground water necessary cue for implementation of rapid water quality samples were collected in polyethylene bottles of two liter management programmes (Dash et al, 2006). capacity with necessary precautions. (Brown et al., 1974). The samples were collected, during July 2014 to June 2015 from WHO (2008) and BIS (1991) has set a allowable concentration manually operated hand pumps, open wells and bore wells. for fluoride in drinking water. The permissible limits of Standard procedures of APHA to avoid unpredictable changes fluoride in drinking water by various organizations are given in in their characteristics (Sudhakar 2013, APHA, 1998). table 1. When administered in more than 1 ppm level of concentration, fluoride has been reported to cause depressions Ground water samples of a total of 24 villages in dharmapuri in DNA and RNA synthesis in cultured cells (Shivasankara, district were collected in pre-cleaned and rinsed polythene 2009). bottles of two litre capacity with necessary precautions. Table 1 Range of allowable Fluoride concentration in Sample preservation and handling drinking water The collected samples were preserved in an icebox to avoid Permissible limit of retarding biological action, deterioration, hydrolysis of S. No Name of the Organizations Fluoride chemical compounds and complexes, volatility of constituents (mg/l) and then brought to the laboratory for the determination of both 1 World Health Organization (WHO) 1.5 2 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 1.0 physico-chemical parameters. The preservation techniques of The committee on Public Health various parameters of water were given by U.S. Environmental 3 Engineering (PHE), 1.0 Protection Agency (USEPA 1983). Govt. of India Indian Council of Medical Research Physico-chemical parameters analysis 4 (ICMR), 1.0 Govt. of India All the samples were analyzed for the following Physico- Fluoride content some of the District in Tamil Nadu chemical parameters; pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), In Tamil Nadu, the