A brief review of industrial fluorosis in domesticated bovines in India: Focus on its socio-economic impacts on livestock farmers

Abstract

An excessive and repeated high fluoride exposure over a long period of time is harmful to the health of humans and domestic animals and causes several toxic effects in the form of fluorosis disease. If fluoride exposure is due to industrial fluoride, the disease is known as industrial fluorosis. In recent years, due to rapid industrialization in India, various health problems are increasing continuously among domesticated bovine animals, cattle (Bos taurus) feed and water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) living and grazing in industrial areas due to industrial fluoride pollution. In fact, many coal-burning and industrial activities, such as power generating stations and the manufacturing of steel, iron, aluminum, zinc, phosphorus, chemical fertilizers, bricks, cement, hydrofluoric acid, etc are generally discharging fluoride into their surrounding areas which create industrial fluoride pollution. An industrially emitted fluoride not only contaminates the surrounding environment including soil, air and fresh water reservoirs, but also contaminates vegetation, agricultural crops, and many other biological communities on which bovines generally survive. These animals develop a number of toxic effects on their teeth (dental fluorosis), bones (skeletal fluorosis) and soft organs (non-skeletal fluorosis) due to chronic industrial fluoride intoxication. Due to industrial fluorosis, bovine animals become physically weak and lame, and diverse health problems, such as anemia, gastrointestinal discomforts, polyuria, polydipsia, impaired reproduction, etc. are also found in them. In the country, many domesticated bovines are suffering with industrial fluorosis. In these animals, the maximum prevalence, 84.11% of industrial dental fluorosis and 72.0% of skeletal fluorosis has been reported. In the country, the research works done so far on industrial fluorosis in bovines are briefly and critically reviewed in the present communication. Along with this, the focus has also been on the adverse socio-economic impacts of industrial fluorosis on livestock farmers and how to prevent this disease in these animals.