A Clinical And Biochemical Study Of Chronic Fluoride Toxicity In Children Of Kheru Thanda Of Gulbarga District, Karnataka, India By AR Shivashankara , S Hanumanth Rao, YM Shivaraja Shankara , P Gopalakrishna Bhat

Fluorine is the most electronegative element, distributed ubiquitously as fluorides in nature. Water is  the major medium of fluoride intake by humans. Fluoride can rapidly cross the cell membrane and  is distributed in skeletal and cardiac muscle, liver, skin,  and erythrocytes. Fluorosis is a major  public health problem resulting from long-term consumption of water with high fluoride levels. It is characterized by dental mottling and skeletal manifestations such as crippling deformities, osteoporosis, and osteosclerosis. In India, as many as 15 states are affected by endemic fluorosis, and an extensive belt of high fluoride in water and soil is reported in South India. Gulbarga District of Karnataka was found to be a fluorosis endemic area by Nawlakhe  et al ,  and AK Susheela.  However, a detailed survey for clinical manifestations attributable to fluoride toxicity has not been recorded. Children residing in Kheru Nayak Thanda, a village 35 km north of Gulbarga city, ex- hibited skeletal deformities from the waist downwards. In November 1998, the parents of these children brought them to the District General Hospital, Gulbarga, to be certified as physically handicapped. A survey was therefore carried out in the village. Drinking water samples were collected and analyzed for fluoride, copper, and zinc. The affected children were investigated clinically, radiologically and biochemically. Our findings are presented in this report.

Link : http://www.fluorideresearch.org/332/files/FJ2000_v33_n2_p66-73.pdf