Drinking Water Fluoride Levels for a City in Northern Mexico (Durango) Determined Using a Direct Electrochemical Method and Their Potential Effects on Oral Health

Nelly Molina Frechero,Enrique Castañeda Castaneira,Ronell Bologna Molina,Leonor Sánchez Pérez,Anastasio Oropeza Oropeza,José Salas Pacheco,Enrique Gaona

doi:10.1155/2013/186392

Abstract

Fluoride is ingested primarily through consuming drinking water. When drinking water contains fluoride concentrations >0.7 parts per million (ppm), consuming such water can be toxic to the human body; this toxicity is called “fluorosis.” Therefore, it is critical to determine the fluoride concentrations in drinking water. The objective of this study was to determine the fluoride concentration in the drinking water of the city of Durango. The wells that supply the drinking water distribution system for the city of Durango were studied. One hundred eighty-nine (189) water samples were analyzed, and the fluoride concentration in each sample was quantified as established by the law NMX-AA-077-SCFI-2001. The fluoride concentrations in such samples varied between 2.22 and 7.23 ppm with a 4.313 ± 1.318 ppm mean concentration. The highest values were observed in the northern area of the city, with a 5.001 ± 2.669 ppm mean value. The samples produced values that exceeded the national standard for fluoride in drinking water. Chronic exposure to fluoride at such concentrations produces harmful health effects, the first sign of which is dental fluorosis. Therefore, it is essential that the government authorities implement water defluoridation programs and take preventative measures to reduce the ingestion of this toxic halogen.

Highlights

Water is a scarce resource in Mexico; a plan was developed to exploit the country’s underground aquifers
The purpose of this study was to determine the drinking water fluoride concentrations for Durango, establish whether diseases related to different levels of fluoride exposure are present, and disseminate the results to prevent dental fluorosis, which is an early sign of high fluoride levels
The frequency of fluoride was greater in 11 wells, 27 wells had concentrations between 2 and 4 ppm, and 36 wells had concentrations >4 ppm and Figure 5 shows the fluoride concentration distribution in the three regions studied; the highest fluoride levels were in the northern region, and the lowest levels were in the central region

Summary

Introduction

Water is a scarce resource in Mexico; a plan was developed to exploit the country’s underground aquifers. Because fluoride is abundant in the earth’s crust, it is a common drinking water contaminant, and high fluoride concentrations in contaminated drinking water are rapidly becoming an endemic public health problem. For Mexico, the drinking water fluoride limit is 0.7 ppm, as described by the national regulatory standard NOM-013SSA2-2006 [1, 2]. Fluoride is an abundant ion in the earth’s crust that is highly electronegative; it combines with various soil substances to form fluoride salts. When water passes through the soil, these fluoride compounds dissolve and increase the fluoride groundwater concentration in the presence of lithium, cesium, chloride, and bromide [3]. To establish suitable groundwater for human consumption, one must consider the water’s hardness and the concentrations of salts, iron, carbon dioxide, sulfur compounds, fluoride, arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese, and other ions [4]

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