Fluoride concentration in groundwater of Arsikere Taluk, Hassan District, Karnataka, India

Fluoride is often referred to as a two edged sword, with 0.6 to 1.5 ppm regarded as an essential constituent of drinking water mainly because of its role in prevention of dental caries, and its concentration more than 1.5 mg/L leading to dental and skeletal fluorosis. When the concentration of fluoride in water exceeds 10 mg/L, crippling fluorosis can ensue. Apart from fluorosis, it may also cause gastrointestinal complaints, namely loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, pain in stomach, constipation and intermittent diarrhoea and flatulence in expectant and lactating mothers. Fluorosis has been considered as one of the incurable diseases and prevention is the only solution. In this paper an attempt has been made to determine the fluoride concentration in the groundwater of Arsikere taluk and the investigation revealed that its concentration varied between 1.1 mg/L and 2.3 mg/L.