Author: B.Hari Babu, P.Suresh, A.Ramesh Babu, K. Swarna Latha, A.V.V.Swamy

DOI:

A total of twenty groundwater samples were randomly collected from different parts of Yerraguntla andJammalamadugu areas. The fluoride content in drinking water was determined by SPANDS method using UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The results showed that fluoride concentration in the ground water of Yerraguntla ranged from 0.90-2.11 mg/L with a mean of 1.704mg/L where as in Jammalamadugu areafluoride ranged from 0.65-1.09 mg/L with a mean of 0.85mg/L. In these two areas most of the people use groundwater for drinking and domestic purpose. In Yerraguntla area 70% of samples contained fluoride concentration above the permissible limits of WHO. The high fluoride content in drinking water leads to dental moiety and skeletal fluorosis. So, proper defluoridation methods should be followed for the treatment of water in this area. On the other hand, in Jammalamadugu area, fluoride level in all samples was found within the permissible limits ofWHO. It is suggested to check other quality parameters ofground water of this area to make suitable for drinking.  

Keywords: Fluoride, Drinking water, Spectrophotometric method, Dental moiety, Defluoridation