Abstract
In many tropical environments, groundwater has high fluoride concentrations in addition to other ions such as Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and PO43-. These ions interact with one another and this geochemistry has a direct bearing on the health of the population living in such terrains. In the majority of cases, it is the groundwater that is used for drinking and the input of the above mentioned ions into the body often results in diseases such as dental and skeletal fluorosis, chronic kidney disease, soft and hard tissue calcification. Even though the actual input of the above mentioned ions into the body from drinking water as against diet, maybe low, as reported in some studies, it may be high in people living in tropical terrains where agricultural productivity and nutrition is low and where the consumption of such water is high.
Highlights
Tropical regions which cover approximately 40 % of the earth have some unique features in their geology, geochemistry and water quality
Under the tropical environmental conditions of high temperature, high rainfall alternating with very dry spells, element fractionation during rock weathering and soil formation result in heterogeneous distribution of chemical species in the geoenvironment
In Sri Lanka, notably in some parts of the dry zone in the north central regions, a chronic kidney disease hitherto known as “of uncertain origin”, persists in the areas of fluoriderich groundwater coupled with water with high calcium and magnesium levels (Dissanayake and Chandrajith, 2007).This paper attempts to highlight the importance of groundwater with high levels of Ca2+, Mg2+, F-and PO43used for drinking and its impact on the biogeochemical mechanisms leading to kidney tubular damage with the end result of chronic kidney disease (CKD)
Summary
Tropical regions which cover approximately 40 % of the earth have some unique features in their geology, geochemistry and water quality. Over 150 countries have at least half their landmass in the tropics and these countries represent more than 40% of the world’s population of around 7.6 billion The majority of these countries has poor agricultural productivity, water quality and associated health problems. Under the tropical environmental conditions of high temperature, high rainfall alternating with very dry spells, element fractionation during rock weathering and soil formation result in heterogeneous distribution of chemical species in the geoenvironment. These geochemical provinces are unique in their chemistry and form an important facet of medical geology in tropical environments (Dissanayake, 1996; 2005a; Dissanayake and Chandrajith, 2009a; Chandrajith et al, 2011b). In Sri Lanka, notably in some parts of the dry zone in the north central regions, a chronic kidney disease hitherto known as “of uncertain origin”, persists in the areas of fluoriderich groundwater coupled with water with high calcium and magnesium levels (Dissanayake and Chandrajith, 2007).This paper attempts to highlight the importance of groundwater with high levels of Ca2+, Mg2+, F-and PO43used for drinking and its impact on the biogeochemical mechanisms leading to kidney tubular damage with the end result of chronic kidney disease (CKD)
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