Common Man Water Filter

In the wake of widespread fluoride occurrence in groundwater, the incidence of endemic fluorosis across the country is alarming. In the year 2009, the Central Ground Water Board and Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission reported 218 and 229 districts to be affected with high fluoride content in groundwater, particularly in the states of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and some districts of Maharashtra with over 50% districts affected. This has become a critical hazard giving rise to both dental and skeletal fluorosis, such as mottled teeth (brown / yellow stained, discoloured and chalky white patches on teeth), sporadic pain on joints, osteosclerosis of pelvis and vertebral spine, crippling deformities, etc. The removal of excess fluoride is cumbersome and an expensive process. At present, methods being generally used to treat or remove fluorides include chemical precipitation with alum and lime, activated alumina, ion exchange process, electrolysis and reverse osmosis.