Ranchi: Over 14,000 residents of Baliapur block in Dhanbad are facing a severe health crisis due to fluoride contamination in drinking water. A study by the School of Environmental Studies (SOES) at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in collaboration with NGO Megh Pyne Abhiyan (MPA), has revealed that over a third of the drinking water sources in Gharbar panchayat are contaminated with fluoride, some up to 10 times above the permissible limit.
Study Findings
Published in the Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) Journal of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the study tested 315 drinking water sources across six villages. It found that over 36 per cent exceeded the safe limit of 1.5 milligrams per litre (mg/l). The contamination levels ranged from 0.02 mg/l to a maximum of 16.2 mg/l. Nearly 28 per cent of the water sources recorded fluoride levels between 1.5 and 4 mg/l, while around 8 per cent showed concentrations between 4 and 10 mg/l. Around 1 per cent of the sources crossed the extreme threshold of 10 mg/l.
Health Impact
The research team tested 162 urine samples and conducted health assessments of 60 school children. The analysis revealed an average urinary fluoride concentration of 3.9 mg/l among the general population, with some residents hitting a high of 16 mg/l. Urinary fluoride levels peaked at 21 mg/l among schoolchildren. Eklavya Prasad, managing trustee of MPA, said, "Fluoride contamination has translated into substantial human exposure. Urine analysis revealed elevated fluoride concentrations among residents and schoolchildren. Children belong to the most vulnerable population group as around 50 per cent of the schoolchildren studied showed signs of both dental and skeletal fluorosis." The prolonged exposure has left a visible mark on the local population, with both adults and children suffering from dental fluorosis, discolouration and mottling of teeth, skeletal fluorosis, joint pain, and bone and mobility-related problems.
Unique Challenge
The study has thrown up a unique challenge for the administration, establishing that the contamination is purely geogenic, meaning it originates from the natural geological formations of the Chota Nagpur Plateau rather than industrial effluents. This specific finding complicates the mitigation process. Prasad said, "This means that drilling new bore wells cannot be assumed to provide safe drinking water. Every drinking water source requires testing and verification before being considered safe for consumption."
