Symptoms
1. 'Fatigue' is one of the symptoms of excessive fluoride.
2. 'Bone and joint pain'
phase 1 - sporadic pain, stiffness of joints,
phase 2 - chronic joint pain
phase 3 - crippling skeletal fluorosis, deformities of spine and major joints
3. 'Muscle wasting'
- Muscle degeneration is especially interesting
- 'Effect on red blood cells' due to fluoride intoxication
- Membrane degeneration induced by fluoride turns erythrocytes into 'echinocytes' with a shrunken membrane and much shorter life span, capable of causing severe anemia
4. 'Neurological defects' - compression of spinal cord
- Recently it has been confirmed that high fluoride content in body lowers IQ of children
5. 'Dental' issues - the enamel surfaces of teeth show a marked wear and brown stain
6. Derangement in 'hormonal profile'
- either as a result of fluoride poisoning or as a cause, aggravate the disease.
- important harmones for healthy bone formation and bone function are: calcitonin, parathormone, Vitamin D and cortisone
Alternate Sources for fluoride free water
1. Open water bodies - ponds, lakes etc.,
2. Rooftop rainwater harvesting
3. Artificial catchments - stone made farm ponds
De-fluoridation of water
1. Reverse Osmosis Technology (RO Filter) is the only technology which would remove fluoride and other chemical contaminants.
2. Reverse Osmosis is expensive
3. Aqua-gaurd, etc., have been tested. They don't remove fluoride.
Fluorine
1. Fluorine is the most electronegative element (Your Note- as per Central Ground Water Board maps, ground water in Vizag and many places in AP and India are electronegative charged).
2. Water is the major source of fluoride intake by humans.
3. Fluoride can rapidly cross cell membrane and is distributed in
- skeletal muscle
- cardiac muscle
- liver
- skin
- erythrocytes
4. Most affected states - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh.
Avoid
1. Red and black tea
http://www.slideshare.net/ghosh51/fluoride-contamination-in-ground-water
