Analysis of water fluoride content in endemic fluorosis region in Shandong Province

Objective To investigate the distribution of water fluoride content in endemic fluorosis region in Shandong Province. Methods According to Research Scheme of the Current Status of Preventing and Controlling Endemic Fluorosis, water was sampled for fluoride detection in endemic fluorosis region in Shandong Province. Results Water fluoride content of 11 288 fluorosis villages was determined, accounting for 96.84% of total fluorosis villages. Among 7 729 water-improved villages, 4 740 villages had water fluoride content ≤1.00 mg/L(accounting for 61.33%), 2 989 villages had water fluoride content 1.00 mg/L(accounting for 38.67%), the highest water fluoride content was 12.60 mg/L. Among 3 559 villages of unimproved water, 427 villages had water fluoride content ≤1.00 mg/L(accounting for 12.00%),3 132 villages had water fluoride content 1.00 mg/L(accounting for 88.00%), the highest water fluoride content was 11.86 mg/L. Among 5 683 villages where water improvement ran well, 4 046 villages had water fluoride content ≤1.00 mg/L(accounting for 71.19%), 1 637 villages had water fluoride content 1.00 mg/L(accounting for 28.81%), the highest water fluoride content was 9.00 mg/L. Conclusions The phenomenon that water fluoride concentration outnumbers the standard is overwhelming. So far there are still over 7 600 villages and over 6 million people facing the endangerment of endemic fluorosis, and the mission for preventing and controlling endemic fluorosis is still very tough in Shandong.