THE INGESTION OF FLUORIDE IN SURFACE WATERS AND TERRITORIES WITH RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH IN THE NORTHEAST PARANÁ REGION

Abstract

In the Northeast of Paraná, fluoride levels in surface waters for public supply are above those recommended for human health (≥ 0.8 mg/L). Within Brazilian law, the daily intake of fluoride levels outside the range of 0.6 to 0.8 mg/L can facilitate the generation of pathologies such as caries and fluorosis. Thus, the current investigation aimed to identify locations where the natural fluoride concentrations obtained in drainage basins delimit areas of risk to human health through direct ingestion. For this purpose, two hundred georeferenced raw water samples were collected from hydrographic basins that supply the region, all of which were chemically analyzed for fluoride using the Direct Potentiometry technique (≤ 1.2 mg/L). The spatialization of the data indicates municipalities potentially prone to the risk of dental fluorosis, with peak levels aligned in the SW-NE direction, representing a belt of anomalies (Jundiai do Sul, Santo Antônio da Platina, and Jacarézinho). The results also specify municipalities at risk for caries. The findings indicate that new epidemiological and hydrogeochemical surveys should be carried out, especially in groundwater, to better delimit the scope of the risks and support the planning of Public Health.