Fluoride (F) is mainly ingested through drinking water and food. In addition to producing dental and skeletal fluorosis, excess fluoride may affect the functioning of many organs including the thyroid gland. The present study investigated the thyroid function of subjects with dental fluorosis from F-endemic areas of Gaya region, Bihar, India and compared it with control individuals from Bodh Gaya. The mean F concentration in groundwater of F-endemic area was 2.82 ± 0.18 mg/L (range 0.62–7.2 mg/L), while that of control area was 0.49 ± 0.04 mg/L (range 0.21–0.76 mg/L). Abnormal levels of T3, T4, and TSH were found in the study subjects from both control and F-endemic areas.
A study was conducted on the residents of Bhupnagar, a fluoride endemic village in Gaya district, Bihar, to assess the ameliorating effect of amla ( Emblica officinalis) on fluoride-induced toxicity. Fifty-three subjects of different age groups were included in the study. Among these, 27 subjects (test group) were given amla powder as dietary supplement for 9 months and the rest 26 subjects were kept as control (i.e. without dietary supplement). The mean urinary fluoride level in the test group was found to decline progressively during the period of supplementation. The study revealed that consumption of amla powder may play an important role in mitigating fluoride-induced toxicity.
Irrigation water quality is critical for crop production. The present study focuses on assessment of suitability of groundwater for irrigation purposes in four blocks of Samastipur district, Bihar lying in the mid Gangetic plains. In this district most of the people are dependent upon agriculture.
Arsenic (As), a naturally occurring element may induce oxidative stress and is a potent carcinogen. The present study aimed to find the lethal and sub-lethal concentration of arsenic trioxide and explore its effect on survival of fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Amelioration using polyphenols (curcumin and soya extract) have been introduced as a successful strategy to overcome this problem. The study showed significant decrease in lifespan of flies treated with arsenic trioxide. 50% mortality was seen in media with 0.5 mM arsenic trioxide and 100% mortality at 0.75 mM. Increased lifespan was observed in medium containing arsenic trioxide (0.55mM) with curcumin (Curcuma longa) and soya extract (Glycine max) respectively. Best survival rate was found in 0.55mM arsenic medium with 1 mM Curcumin and 1.5 mM Soya extract respectively. Lipid peroxidation assay showed significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) values in the flies treated with arsenic trioxide as compared to control. The MDA values decreased significantly in flies treated with arsenic mixed with curcumin and soya extract respectively. The results indicate that exposure to sub lethal concentration of arsenic trioxide may cause oxidative stress and affect the lifespan of D. melanogaster. Curcumin and soya extract may help in reducing the impact of oxidative stress and toxicity caused by arsenic trioxide.
Abstract Background Arsenic toxicity in humans is well recognized. It has been classified as a class I human carcinogen by the International Agency of Research on Cancer. Arsenic enters the human body mainly through drinking water, dermal contact, food chain, and inhalation. The Gangetic belt of India is considered as one of the most arsenic-affected sites in India. Health risk assessment of the human population exposed to arsenic in drinking water is important. The present study was conducted to assess the groundwater quality and associated health risks on the people of Samastipur district in the middle Gangetic belt of Bihar. Groundwater samples from 40 different study sites were collected and analyzed for various physico-chemical properties of water. Results Arsenic (> 0.01 mg/L) was present in 33% of the water samples analyzed. Subsequently, an assessment for carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic health risk (HQ) for children, females, and males in the study area was performed. Risk assessment showed that 100% of the population may be at carcinogenic health risk and 35% may be at non-carcinogenic health risk, and among these, children were at maximum risk. Furthermore, the computational assessment of the arsenic–protein interactome revealed the enrichment of cancer-related pathways. Conclusions It is recommended to provide arsenic-free alternate sources of water in the study area.
The Baikal teal (Anas Formosa) is a migratory duck that breeds in eastern Siberia and China and winters in South and Southeast Asia. The species has been recorded in India, but its distributional records are scarce. In this paper, we report a new distributional record of Baikal teal in Rajdhani Jalashay, Patna, and Bihar, India. The presence of only a single male for some days indicated that it might have deviated from its usual migration path.
Fluorine is the lightest member of the halogen group and is one of the most reactive of all chemical elements. Fluorine in the environment is therefore found as fluorides which together represent about 0.06–0.09 per cent of the earth’s crust (WHO 2006). Fluorides are found at significant levels in a wide variety of minerals, including fluorspar, rock phosphate, cryolite, apatite, mica, hornblende and others (Murray, 1986). In groundwater, low or high concentrations of fluoride can occur, depending on the nature of the rocks and the occurrence of fluoridebearing minerals. High fluoride concentrations may be expected in groundwater from calcium-poor aquifers and in areas where fluoride-bearing minerals are common (Edmunds and Smedley, 1996). Waters with high fluoride concentrations occur in large and extensive geographical belts associated with a) sediments of marine origin in mountainous areas, b) volcanic rocks and c) granitic and gneissic rocks. High groundwater fluoride concentrations associated with igneous and metamorphic rocks such as granites and gneisses have been reported from India, Pakistan, West Africa, Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, and Southern Africa.
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