Geochemical assessment of fluoride enriched groundwater and health implications from a part of Yavtmal District, India

A comprehensive study was conducted from a semi-arid part of Yavtmal District, Maharashtra, India through combination approaches of geochemical modeling and its health consequences. The groundwater quality assessment shows that 55% of groundwater samples have the concentration of fluoride above the desirable limit. The high Na+/Ca+ ratio (>1.0) suggest the occurrence of cation exchange, which is further supported by Scholler' chloro-alkaline indices. The geochemical modeling reveals that the existence of CaCO3 precipitation and CaF2 in groundwater. Simulation analysis indicates the dissolution of calcite, gypsum, and albite and precipitation of dolomite, fluorite, halite, and K-feldspar along with cation exchange as the main water-rock interactions influencing the groundwater chemistry. This is further significantly supported by pollution index of groundwater (PIG). PIG indicates about 18% of total samples fall in very high pollution zone, 3% in high pollution zone, 8% in moderate pollution zone, 24% in low pollution zone, and remaining (47%) express insignificant pollution. The 28% of subject studied have skeletal fluorosis varying from mild to severe type. In different pollution zones, the affected persons by dental fluorosis are varying from 15% to 41%. A proper monitoring and treatment are required for high fluoride water before its use for drinking and cooking.