Fluoride Problems in Sri Lanka

Dharmagunawardhane, H. A.; Dissanayake, C.B.

doi:10.1108/09566169310033422

Cited by 26 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Biotite and hornblende in granitic gneiss and biotite gneiss in the area have high fluoride contents of 3.5 and 2.9 wt%, respectively (Dharmagunawardhana 2004). Hence, local granitic gneiss, biotite gneiss, hornblende biotite gneiss, and carbonatites can be the main contributors of dissolute fluorite into the groundwaters.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Factors controlling fluoride contents of groundwater in north-central and northwestern Sri Lanka

2010

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Chemical characterization has been made of groundwater bodies at 294 locations in four village districts in north-central and northwestern Sri Lanka, with special focus on fluorine contamination. High fluoride contents in groundwater are becoming a major problem in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, and dental fluorosis and renal failures are widespread. Field measurements of temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity were made during sampling. Chemical analyses of the water samples were later made using atomic absorption spectroscopy, spectrophotometry, and titration. Fluoride concentrations in the study area vary from 0.01 to 4.34 mg/l, and depend on pH and the concentrations of Na, Ca, and HCO 3 -. Basement rocks including hornblende biotite gneiss, biotite gneiss, and granitic gneiss seem to have contributed to the anomalous concentrations of fluoride in the groundwater. Longer residence time in aquifers within fractured crystalline bedrocks may enhance fluoride levels in the groundwater in these areas. In addition, elevated fluoride concentrations in shallow groundwater in intensive agricultural areas appear to be related to the leaching of fluoride from soils due to successive irrigation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Factors controlling fluoride contents of groundwater in north-central and northwestern Sri Lanka

2010

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“…Boreholes drilled in marble rarely reported values of fluoride in groundwater above 2.0 mg/L. Similarly, boreholes drilled in quartzite rarely reported fluoride in groundwater above 1.5 mg/L (Dharmagunawardhane and Dissanayake 1993). Dental fluorosis has been reported from Walawe River basin in southern Sri Lanka.…”

Section: Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Most of the high concentrations of fluoride in groundwater samples were observed in boreholes located on charnockitic gneiss, calc gneiss, biotite gneiss and granulite (Dharmagunawardhane and Dissanayake 1993). Boreholes drilled in marble rarely reported values of fluoride in groundwater above 2.0 mg/L.…”

Section: Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 98%

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Worldwide contamination of water by fluoride

et al. 2016

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Fluoride contamination in water is a major problem across the globe, with health hazards such as dental and skeletal fluorosis. Most earlier studies are confined to local or regional scales. As the problem has serious socioeconomic implications, there is a need for a global perspective. Thus, here we review worldwide research for nearly a century on fluoride contamination in water. We investigated the distribution of fluoride contamination in water, its sources, mobilization and association. The major findings are: (1) Anomalous fluoride concentration in groundwater is mainly confined to arid and semiarid regions of Asia and North Africa. (2) The geogenic sources of fluoride in water are mainly fluorine-bearing minerals in rocks and sediments, whereas anthropogenic sources of fluoride in water are mainly pesticides and industrial waste.(3) Fluoride mobilization from geogenic sources is mainly controlled by alkalinity and temperature. (4) Fluoride occurrence in water is associated with ions such as sodium, arsenic chloride and bicarbonate. There are few associations of fluoride in water with calcium and magnesium.

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“…The contamination of groundwater due to natural or anthropogenic activities can lead to many health and environmental problems. However, only very few studies have been carried out in these terrains to characterize groundwater geochemically (Jayasena et al 1986(Jayasena et al , 2008Dharmagunawardhane and Dissanayake 1993). Therefore, the assessment of regionalscale geochemical nature of groundwater is extremely important for preventive measures in groundwater contamination and to develop groundwater resources for the future demand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Geochemical characteristics of groundwater in different climatic zones of Sri Lanka

2015

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Sri Lanka is characterized by well-demarcated climatic zones based on the rainfall pattern known as wet zone, dry zone and intermediate zone. Groundwaters in these three zones are extracted mainly for drinking and irrigation from metamorphic hard rock aquifers and saprolite developed on metamorphic rocks. Detailed hydrogeochemical investigations were carried out covering these three climatic zones in order to characterize the groundwater. A total of 166 groundwater samples were collected representing three climatic zones and analyzed for their major and trace element geochemistry. The results indicate a clear difference in the geochemistry of groundwater between climatic regions, whereas semiarid dry zone groundwater is characterized with higher dissolved mineral contents compared that of the wet and intermediate zones.Low pH levels were noticed in the wet zone areas, while high calcium and fluoride contents were observed in the dry and intermediate terrains. Remarkably, high phosphate contents were observed in all three regions, indicating the influence of fertilizer application on groundwater. Particularly in the dry zone regions, the groundwater chemistry is mainly controlled by rock-water interactions and ion exchange processes in which high mineral contents are added from underlying metamorphic rocks to the drinking and irrigation water. The results indicate that groundwater in the dry zone area is under stress compared to other climate areas, but in the wet zone groundwater shows remarkable influence of anthropogenic activities.

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Fluoride Problems in Sri Lanka

Cited by 26 publications

References 3 publications

Factors controlling fluoride contents of groundwater in north-central and northwestern Sri Lanka

Factors controlling fluoride contents of groundwater in north-central and northwestern Sri Lanka

Worldwide contamination of water by fluoride

Geochemical characteristics of groundwater in different climatic zones of Sri Lanka

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