International Research Journal of Environment Sciences________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 2(12), 29-34, December (2013) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 29 A Study on Fluoride in Drinking Water of Government Kallar Higher Secondary Schools in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India during Pre-monsoon and Post-monsoon seasons of years 2010 to 2012 Amutha1* and Prakash2 V.V. Vanniaperumal College for Women, Virudhunagar, INDIA Thiagarajar College, Madurai, INDIA Available online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 11th November 2013, revised 23rd November 2013, accepted 20th December2013 AbstractSchool is a socializing institution which stimulates learning environment and positive changes. Government Kallar Higher Secondary Schools started since 1969 for Piramalai Kallar Community People in Tamilnadu, India. These schools are spread over three districts such as Madurai, Dindigul, and Theni. The drinking water sources of these schools are analyzed for the Physico-Chemical parameters such as Temperature, pH, TDS, Major ions, Fluoride, BOD, COD, DO and heavy metals. The objective of the study is to analyses the above parameters and finds the impact of Fluoride in pre and post monsoon seasons of the year 2010-12. Multi statistical approach showed the pollution potential for Government Kallar Higher Secondary Schools. In this study, the important Physico-Chemical parameter, Fluoride and seasonal variations of drinking water of Madurai Government Kallar Higher Secondary Schools have been reported.Keywords: Drinking water quality, fluoride parameters, maximum admissible limit, world health organization, Kallar school, groundwater, health-risk, preventive measures. IntroductionMadurai is located at 9.93°N 78.12°E. It has an average elevation of 101 meters. The city of Madurai lies on the flat and fertile plain of the river Vaigai, which runs in the northwest-southeast direction through the city, dividing it into two almost equal halves. The Sirumalai and Nagamalai hills lie to the north and west of Madurai. The land in and around Madurai is utilized largely for agricultural activity, which is fostered by the Periyar Dam. Madurai lies southeast of the Western Ghats, and the surrounding region occupies the plains of South India and contains several mountain spurs. The city experiences a moderate climate from August to October, tempered by heavy rain and thundershowers, and a cool and climate from November to February. Fog and dew are rare, occurring only during the winter season. Being equidistant from mountains and the sea, it experiences similar monsoon pattern with Northeast monsoon and Southwest monsoon, with the former providing more rain during October to December. The average annual rainfall for the Madurai district is about 85.76 cm. Temperatures during summer generally reach a maximum of 40°C and a minimum of 26.3°C, although temperatures up to 42°C are not uncommon. Winter temperatures range between 29.6°C and 18°C. A study based on the data available with the Indian Meteorological Department on Madurai over a period of 62 years indicate rising trend in atmospheric temperature over Madurai city, attributed to urbanization, growth of vehicles and industrial activity. The maximum temperature of 42°C for the decade of 2001 – 2010 was recorded in 2004 and in 2010. This paper makes an attempt to focus on the environmental impact of water pollution on the rural communities in general and on human health, and particularly on students of the Govt. Kallar Hr. Sec Schools of Tamil Nadu. Nearly forty thousand students are studying in Kallar Reclamation Department School. It is given in the table - 1. Hostels are also attached with the twelve higher secondary schools. Fortunately the drinking sources of all the schools are ground water. These sources have been polluted by geogenic and anthropogenic factors. In higher secondary schools, the chemical and non-biodegradable wastages from laboratories, food wastages from noon meal kitchen impart a lot percentage of its polluting factors. The primary source of water for all these schools are only ground waters from bore well, hand pump and Panchayat union supplied over tank water through pipes. There are thirty hydro chemical parameters have been analyzed. The village people are also used the sources as their drinking purpose. The prevalence of Fluoride during pre and post monsoon seasons is given in the able - 3. During our study period School code 4 and School code 10 are highly affected by the Fluoride contamination. The acceptable limit of Fluoride in drinking water is 1.5mg/l. But the polluted areas show somewhat higher concentration than acceptable limit. These schools need a special attention to produce a pure drinking water to the school International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 2(12), 29-34, December (2013) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 30 students. The analyzed parameters were subjected to Pearson correlation analysis which is a statistical technique used to analyze the impact of fluoride with other Physico-Chemical parameters, space and seasonal variations. The occurrence of high fluoride (F–) in groundwater has drawn considerable attention the world over, since ground water is the main source of F– intake. F– in drinking water has both beneficial and harmful effects on human health2–8. According to the Indian standards for drinking water, the acceptable (or desirable) limit of F– in drinking water is 1.0 mg/l; however, in the absence of any alternate source, maximum permissible limit is1.5 mg/l. Whereas low F– content ( 0.60 mg/l) in drinking water can cause dental caries and poor development of bones10, high F– content (&#x-3.3;女 1.0 mg/l) can lead to dentaland skeletal fluorosis. The source of F– in groundwater is primarily geogenic, i.e. from dissolution of fluorine bearing minerals in the rocks transmitting groundwater, and occasionally anthropogenic2,10–12India is among the 23 nations wherein a large population suffers from dental and skeletal fluorosis due to highF–concentration in groundwater13–20. Table-1 Details of the Students’ Strength of Kallar Reclamation Schools Sl.No Category of Schools Number of Schools Boys Girls Total 1 Higher Secondary Schools249,0876,59215,679 2 High Schools212,8042,4845288 3 Middle Schools282,1982,0804278 4 Elementary Schools2127,3916,91814,309 Total 285 21,480 18,074 39,554 The name of the study area is given in the following able-2.Table-2Name of the study area School Code Name of the Schools S1 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Checkanurani S2 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Melaurappanur S3 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Kappalur S4 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Nattamangalam S5 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Papapatti S6 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Vikkiramangalam S7 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Vellaimalaipatti S8 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Vadakkampatti S9 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Thummakundu S10 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Thadayampatti S11 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Melakkal S12 Government Kallar Hr.Sec School at Ayyappanaickanpatti Table-3Seasonal effects on the prevalence of Fluoride Sampling Sites Year 2010-2011 Year 2011-2012 Post Monsoon F - Pre Monsoon F - Post Monsoon F - Pre Monsoon F - S1 0.54 0.64 0.38 0.3 S2 0.83 0.97 1.2 0.21 S3 0.92 1.1 1 0.1 S4 1.9 1.9 2.08 2.1 S5 1.1 0.9 0.71 1.6 S6 0.63 0.79 1.41 0.9 S7 0.59 0.48 0.77 0.7 S8 0.63 1.1 0.33 0.61 S9 0.56 0.83 0.58 0.51 S10 1.2 1.6 0.51 0.33 S11 0.59 0.74 0.42 0.58 S12 0.57 0.8 0.55 0.51 International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 2(12), 29-34, December (2013) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 31 Figure–1 Madurai Map in Tamilnadu [India Map] International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 2(12), 29-34, December (2013) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 32  \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n \n\r \r  Figure–2 Concentration of F in Madurai Dist. during Post/Pre Monsoon of 2010-2011 Figure–3Concentration of F in Madurai Dist. during Post/Pre Monsoon of 2011-2012 If we take excess fluoride in drinking water, it may lead to a weakening of bones, leading to an increase in hip and wrist fracture, adverse effects on the kidney21-24. The high-fluoride areas studied need a safety defluoridation process.Material and Methods Fluoride ions (F) concentration in water was measured using an ion-selective electrode (Eutech, Singapore) by a standard method APHA. International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 2(12), 29-34, December (2013) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 33 Table-4 Correlation factor – Statistical analysis TH Cl TA Ca Mg SO Na K HCO F TH Pearson Correlation 1 .984 ** .451 .982 ** .996 ** .894 ** .609 * .943 ** .450 .291 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .141 .000 .000 .000 .036 .000 .142 .358 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Cl Pearson Correlation .984 ** 1 .464 .970 ** .979 ** .898 ** .698 * .913 ** .463 .260 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .129 .000 .000 .000 .012 .000 .130 .415 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 TA Pearson Correlation .451 .464 1 .404 .469 .605 * .834 ** .255 1.000 ** .869 ** Sig. (2-tailed) .141 .129 .193 .124 .037 .001 .424 .000 .000 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Ca Pearson Correlation .982 ** .970 ** .404 1 .962 ** .827 ** .575 .918 ** .403 .220 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .193 .000 .001 .050 .000 .194 .492 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Mg Pearson Correlation .996 ** .979 ** .469 .962 ** 1 .915 ** .619 * .942 ** .468 .323 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .124 .000 .000 .032 .000 .125 .306 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 SO Pearson Correlation .894 ** .898 ** .605 * .827 ** .915 ** 1 .745 ** .790 ** .604 * .525 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .037 .001 .000 .005 .002 .038 .080 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Na Pearson Correlation .609 * .698 * .834 ** .575 .619 * .745 ** 1 .424 .834 ** .578 * Sig. (2-tailed) .036 .012 .001 .050 .032 .005 .169 .001 .049 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 K Pearson Correlation .943 ** .913 ** .255 .918 ** .942 ** .790 ** .424 1 .254 .175 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .424 .000 .000 .002 .169 .426 .587 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 HCO Pearson Correlation .450 .463 1.000 ** .403 .468 .604 * .834 ** .254 1 .869 ** Sig. (2-tailed) .142 .130 .000 .194 .125 .038 .001 .426 .000 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 F Pearson Correlation .291 .260 .869 ** .220 .323 .525 .578 * .175 .869 ** 1 Sig. (2-tailed) .358 .415 .000 .492 .306 .080 .049 .587 .000 N 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). During Post Monsoon 2010-11, Fluoride is positively correlated with Total Alkalinity, Sodium, and Bicarbonate at 0.869, 0.578, and 0.869 respectively and significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). And Fluoride is not correlated with Total Hardness, Chloride, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphate, and Potassium. This shows that the physical chemical properties of ground water quality within the captured area under study were contaminated by Fluoride at minimum level.Results and DiscussionDuring this study the highest concentration of Fluoride during the Post Monsoon of Year 2010-2011 is found at station S4 and the lowest concentration of fluoride is found at station S1. The highest concentration of Fluoride during the Pre Monsoon of Year 2010-2011 is found at station S4 and the lowest concentration of fluoride is found at station S7. The highest concentration of Fluoride during the Post Monsoon of Year 2011-2012 is detected at station S4 and the lowest concentration of fluoride are found at station S8.And also the highest concentration of Fluoride during the Pre Monsoon of Year 2011-2012 is observed at station S4 and the lowest concentration of fluoride is found at station S3. These variations may be due to geogenic and anthropogenic factors of the school locations.ConclusionScientific evidence supports the fluoridation of public water supplies as safe for the environment and beneficial to people. Reports at the local, national, and international levels have continued to support this most important public health measure. Our future plan of this study is to implement a novel deflouridation technique and improve the water quality supply for the students of Government Kallar Higher Secondary Schools. International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 2(12), 29-34, December (2013) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. 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