India recognises danger of too much fluoride.
Experts warn of fluorosis danger in rock salt, black tea
Ravleen Kaur
New Delhi, August 1: DOCTORS in the Capital point out that rock salt, commonly known as kala namak, and black tea are two of the major causes of fluorosis in metros rather than ill-treated ground water.
They say that studies have shown that rock salt, a must ingredient in all Indian snacks like namkeens, chaat, readymade masala powders and even drinks like jaljeera, leads to non-skeletal fluorosis.
Dr.A.K. Sushila, executive director of the Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation (FRRDF), 40 per cent cases of fluorosis are due to poor ground water while another 40 per cent are caused by food contamination.
Nausea, stomach pain, constipation followed by diarrhoea, excessive thirst, muscle weakness, fatigue and loss of appetite are the non-skeletal forms of fluorosis.
Five to seven per cent cases are caused by fluoride tooth pastes and drugs while the rest are by industrial emissions, she says.
“Recently, an Income Tax commissioner and his wife visited us with their son who was suffering from excessive thirst and urination. We had them tested for fluorosis. Simple dietary counselling helped them come out of it in 10 days,” said Dr.Sushila.
“Fluoride is used to preserve tea leaves from bacteria that’s why black tea is a cause of worry. But it’s different with milk
tea as calcium in milk reacts with fluoride, which is not absorbed by the body, and excreted without any damage,” said Dr.Sushila.
“Fluoride damages the mechanism of white blood cells, leading to non-absorption of nutrients by body organs and subsequent soft tissue destruction and low formation of haemoglobin leading to anaemia and other problems. Skeletal fluorosis or bone disorder is a very advanced stage of fluorosis wherein the victim cannot even bend or has crippled limbs,” added Dr. Sushila.
Not just that, many drugs like anti-depressant and anti-cholesterol drugs besides toothpastes containing fluoride lead to dental problems. Doctors suggest the use of ayurvedic toothpastes to counter this.
AIIMS is the only centre apart from FRRDF to test fluorosis in India. So the foundation is training school teachers and doctors on diagnosing fluorosis and tackle the problem with good dietary counselling.
“Since fluorosis does not attack suddenly like cancer, it is not considered a major problem in India. Also, not many doctors are able to diagnose it properly, and go on treating a patient with medicines for other ailments,” added Dr. Sushila.
Ravleen Kaur
New Delhi, August 1: DOCTORS in the Capital point out that rock salt, commonly known as kala namak, and black tea are two of the major causes of fluorosis in metros rather than ill-treated ground water.
They say that studies have shown that rock salt, a must ingredient in all Indian snacks like namkeens, chaat, readymade masala powders and even drinks like jaljeera, leads to non-skeletal fluorosis.
Dr.A.K. Sushila, executive director of the Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation (FRRDF), 40 per cent cases of fluorosis are due to poor ground water while another 40 per cent are caused by food contamination.
Nausea, stomach pain, constipation followed by diarrhoea, excessive thirst, muscle weakness, fatigue and loss of appetite are the non-skeletal forms of fluorosis.
Five to seven per cent cases are caused by fluoride tooth pastes and drugs while the rest are by industrial emissions, she says.
“Recently, an Income Tax commissioner and his wife visited us with their son who was suffering from excessive thirst and urination. We had them tested for fluorosis. Simple dietary counselling helped them come out of it in 10 days,” said Dr.Sushila.
“Fluoride is used to preserve tea leaves from bacteria that’s why black tea is a cause of worry. But it’s different with milk
tea as calcium in milk reacts with fluoride, which is not absorbed by the body, and excreted without any damage,” said Dr.Sushila.
“Fluoride damages the mechanism of white blood cells, leading to non-absorption of nutrients by body organs and subsequent soft tissue destruction and low formation of haemoglobin leading to anaemia and other problems. Skeletal fluorosis or bone disorder is a very advanced stage of fluorosis wherein the victim cannot even bend or has crippled limbs,” added Dr. Sushila.
Not just that, many drugs like anti-depressant and anti-cholesterol drugs besides toothpastes containing fluoride lead to dental problems. Doctors suggest the use of ayurvedic toothpastes to counter this.
AIIMS is the only centre apart from FRRDF to test fluorosis in India. So the foundation is training school teachers and doctors on diagnosing fluorosis and tackle the problem with good dietary counselling.
“Since fluorosis does not attack suddenly like cancer, it is not considered a major problem in India. Also, not many doctors are able to diagnose it properly, and go on treating a patient with medicines for other ailments,” added Dr. Sushila.
posted by Bill at
9:47 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home