Effective Way To Remove Fluoride From Water Found

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You must have heard and seen your elders at home complaining of fluoride content in water and how it has been affecting the family's health. So if you are one among this group then here is some good news.

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad has come up with a new way to remove excess fluoride from groundwater.

According to the researchers, the activated carbon' obtained from jamun seeds can help to remove excess fluoride from the groundwater.

During the study, the researchers had taken jamun seed powder and then converted it into a highly porous carbon material. The carbon material was then processed further at high temperatures as this would improve its efficiency.

For trial, the material was first used on synthetic fluoride solutions prepared in the laboratory. Later, the groundwater samples were collected from the Nalgonda district of Telangana, known to be one of the worst fluoride-affected areas in India, and the tests were conducted.

The results were found to be amazing. The fluoride concentration was reduced to less than 1.5 mg/litre, which is the acceptable limit as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ramya Araga, lead author of the study, said that the team is now working on finding ways to remove various water pollutants using the Jamun Seed-Derived Carbon.

The research was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering.

But do you know what happens when your water contains excess fluoride? The effect could range from mild to severe. Know about a few of them here.

One should understand that a small amount of fluoride intake can help to prevent dental caries. However, consuming excess fluoride containing water can cause fluorosis that majorly affects your teeth and the bones.

Also long-term ingestion of large amount of fluoride can lead to potentially severe skeletal fluorosis.In case of a skeletal fluorosis, the fluoride accumulates in the bone progressively over many years. Stiffness and pain in the joints are a few of the early symptoms of skeletal fluorosis.

Other major symptoms of severe fluorosis includes a change in the bone structure and the ligaments may calcify. This in the long run can lead to impairment of muscles and severe pain.

Few of the immediate effects of acute high-level exposure to fluoride includes - severe abdominal pain, excessive saliva, nausea and vomiting. In serious cases, seizures and muscle spasms can also occur.

(With Agency Inputs)