Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water Resources; North of Iran

Aims Fluoride is one of the anions present in soil and water, and determining its level indrinking water is vital for preventing dental and bone diseases in societies. This researchaimed to determine fluoride concentrations in drinking water sources of rural and urbanareas of Babol City, Iran.Instrument & Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in BabolCity, Iran, in 2014. 384 water samples were taken from 43 wells and 3 springs in the ruralareas, and from 20 wells, 3 water reservoirs, and the water distribution system in the urbanareas. Fluoride concentrations of water samples were measured with a model DR2000spectrophotometer using the standard SPADNS method. Data were entered to SPSS 16software and were analyzed by ANOVA test.Findings The mean fluoride concentrations in the water samples of the deep wells werehigher compared to those of the springs (p=0.01). The mean fluoride concentrations in theplains areas were higher compared to the mountainous regions (p=0.02). The mean fluorideconcentrations in the wells of the urban areas, in the urban reservoirs, and in the urban waterdistribution system were 0.40±0.14, 0.39±0.15, and 0.40±0.15mg/l, respectively (p=0.07).Fluoride concentrations in water in urban areas during various seasons varied from 0.31 to0.45mg/l (p=0.06).Conclusion Fluoride concentrations in all drinking water sources in urban and rural areas ofBabol are less than the ranges recommended by WHO and Iranian national standards.

کلیدواژه ها:

Fluorides ، Drinking Water ، Rural Health ، Urban Health ، Water Resources