BANERJEE, A: Fluoride in Ground Water: Occurrences, Vulnerab

The occurrence of fluoride at elevated concentrations in different environmental compartments in almost all parts of the world poses a real threat to life on the earth. The hazardous effect of fluoride includes damage of human biological systems, even at molecular level and leads to serious health disorder, the fluorosis. The resulting manifestations of fluorosis are the mottling of teeth, softening of bones, ossification of tendons and ligaments and also neurological damage in severe condition. The present work highlights the occurrence and distribution of fluoride in ground water in different parts of India including the state West Bengal. The correlation of elevated fluoride level with the physio-chemical quality of ground water as well as the health status of the population consuming fluoride rich drinking water in a typical fluoride prone area, the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India is made. A low cost, simple and techno-feasible defluoridation technique using laterite soil has been developed to reduce the fluoride concentration in water. The modus operandi through batch and column mode has been ed