EFFECT AND IMPLICATION OF FLUORIDE ON DRINKING WELL WATER

EFFECT AND IMPLICATION OF FLUORIDE ON DRINKING WELL WATER

INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER ONE 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Fluoride is one of the few compounds that has been demonstrated to have a substantial impact on people via drinking water. Fluoride has good benefits on teeth at low concentrations in drinking water, but excessive fluoride exposure in drinking water, or in combination with fluoride exposure from other sources, can cause a range of negative effects. As the level and duration of exposure rises, these range from minor dental fluorosis to devastating skeletal fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis is a major cause of morbidity in many parts of the world (J. Fawell, K. Bailey, J. Chilton, E. Dahi, L. Fewtrell, and Y. Magara 2006). Fluoride is known to occur at high quantities in a number of places of the world, and in such cases, it can and often does have a considerable negative influence on public health and well-being (J. Fawell, K. Bailey, J. Chilton, E. Dahi, L. Fewtrell, and Y. Magara 2006). The (GDWQ) Guideline for Drinking Water Quality is currently being updated, and it was determined that there was a need for a monograph on fluoride in drinking water that would be useful to a wide range of individuals, including health workers and sanitary engineers who may require a broad introduction to the subject but would still provide more detailed guidance in some specific areas. A monograph of this type may provide an adequate introduction and background information, as well as identify where additional more thorough information could be acquired. The major goal of the monograph is to prevent harmful consequences from high amounts of fluoride in drinking water. Fluoride can be found in all natural waterways in varying concentrations. Seawater normally contains roughly 1mg l-1, whereas rivers and lakes often have less than 0.5 mg l-1. Fluoride concentrations in groundwater can be low or high, depending on the composition of the rocks and the presence of fluoride-bearing minerals. Fluorite solubility limits concentrations in water, therefore in the presence of 40 mg l-1 calcium, it should be limited to 3.1 mg l-1 (Hem, 1989). Higher quantities are stable due to the absence of calcium in solution (Edmunds and Smedley, 1996). Because of the geological character of the location, Iree town, which is the focus of this project effort, has a very high tendency for the presence of fluoride in its ground water. Iree is surrounded by various rocks, and the presence of these rocks naturally leads to the presence of fluoride in all of Iree’s well water. The problem that prompted this investigation is dental fluorosis and skeletal deformity in some Iree metropolitan residents. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of fluoride on drinking well water in the Iree community of Osun State, Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Issue

The study’s difficulty is the health risk observed among residents of the study locations, such as dental fluorosis and skeletal deformation, which may be traceable to the level of fluoride in well water.

1.3 The Study’s Aims and Objectives

1. Determine the amount of fluoride required in drinking well water.

2. To learn about the health effects of the level of fluoride in Iree metropolis’s drinking well water.

1.4 Importance of the Research

Fluoride has good effects on teeth at low concentrations in drinking water, but excessive exposure to fluoride in drinking water, or in combination with exposure to fluoride from other sources, can have a range of negative effects, including dental fluorosis and skeletal deformation.

1.5 The Study’s Scope

This project work includes well water from the Iree metropolis’s Off-campus, Ladoja, Oke Aare, Small London, Oris, B.H.S, and Eyinade areas.

1.6 The Study’s Limitations

Because of financial limits, the project effort could not reach the full iree community. v Movement. v Time limitations. v Some parts are inaccessible.

1.7 Terminology Definition

EFFECT: This might relate to a consequence or a change.

IMPLICATION: Although not specifically stated, this is the conclusion that can be made from something.

GDWQ stands for Guideline for Drinking Water Quality.

FLOUROSIS: This is a condition caused by consuming an excessive amount of fluorine.

FLOURIDE: Fluoride is a fluorine anion that is also the reduced form of fluorine.

FUMAROLIC GASES: A vent in the Earth’s surface from which hot smoke and gases escape.

FLUORIDATION: The controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply in order to prevent tooth decay.

DENTAL FLUOROSIS: This is a change in the appearance of the enamel on the tooth.

ENDEMIC: A illness that occurs frequently and predictably in a specific location or group.

ENAMEL: A vitreous, typically opaque, protective or ornamental coating that is baked on metal, glass, or ceramic.