Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India

In India, high fluoride concentration in groundwater (greater than 1 mg/l) is widespread in the arid to semi-arid western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat and in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A field research study conducted at six areas severely affected by fluoros...

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Main Authors: Indu, Rajnarayan, Krishnan, Sunderrajan, Shah, Tushaar
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40843
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author Indu, Rajnarayan
Krishnan, Sunderrajan
Shah, Tushaar
author_browse Indu, Rajnarayan
Krishnan, Sunderrajan
Shah, Tushaar
author_facet Indu, Rajnarayan
Krishnan, Sunderrajan
Shah, Tushaar
author_sort Indu, Rajnarayan
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In India, high fluoride concentration in groundwater (greater than 1 mg/l) is widespread in the arid to semi-arid western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat and in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A field research study conducted at six areas severely affected by fluorosis shows that affordability of safer drinking water is related to higher income level, and that the severity of fluorosis affliction is higher for lower income levels. The cost incurred on medicines and loss of wages is a significant proportion of the earnings and has a general debilitating impact on the affected families. As compared with fluorosis, the skin afflictions of arsenicosis carry greater social stigma and patients incur higher costs. In Nadia district of West Bengal, the impacts of arsenic contamination are more severe with increasing age. Cumulatively, over the entire afflicted population, both fluoride and arsenic contamination have a high cost on society and addressing the problem would require more attention from government agencies and society apart from individual awareness.
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spelling CGSpace408432023-02-15T12:16:14Z Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India Indu, Rajnarayan Krishnan, Sunderrajan Shah, Tushaar groundwater water quality water pollution drinking water fluorides arsenic poisoning diseases public health costs In India, high fluoride concentration in groundwater (greater than 1 mg/l) is widespread in the arid to semi-arid western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat and in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A field research study conducted at six areas severely affected by fluorosis shows that affordability of safer drinking water is related to higher income level, and that the severity of fluorosis affliction is higher for lower income levels. The cost incurred on medicines and loss of wages is a significant proportion of the earnings and has a general debilitating impact on the affected families. As compared with fluorosis, the skin afflictions of arsenicosis carry greater social stigma and patients incur higher costs. In Nadia district of West Bengal, the impacts of arsenic contamination are more severe with increasing age. Cumulatively, over the entire afflicted population, both fluoride and arsenic contamination have a high cost on society and addressing the problem would require more attention from government agencies and society apart from individual awareness. 2007 2014-06-13T14:48:32Z 2014-06-13T14:48:32Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40843 en Limited Access Indu, Rajnarayan; Krishnan, Sunderrajan; Shah, Tushaar. 2007. Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India. International Journal of Rural Management, 3(1): 69-93.
spellingShingle groundwater
water quality
water pollution
drinking water
fluorides
arsenic
poisoning
diseases
public health
costs
Indu, Rajnarayan
Krishnan, Sunderrajan
Shah, Tushaar
Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India
title Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India
title_full Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India
title_fullStr Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India
title_short Impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic: affliction severity, medical cost and wage loss in some villages of India
title_sort impacts of groundwater contamination with fluoride and arsenic affliction severity medical cost and wage loss in some villages of india
topic groundwater
water quality
water pollution
drinking water
fluorides
arsenic
poisoning
diseases
public health
costs
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40843
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