Industrial fluorosis in cattle and buffalo around Udaipur, India

Signs of dental discolouration, difficulty in mastication, bony lesions, lameness, debility and mortality in domesticated animals, reared around superphosphate fertiliser plants located approximately 15 km north of Udaipur, Rajasthan prompted us to investigate for the occurrence of fluorosis. Out of 166 animals clinically examined, the prevalence rate was 17.4% (4/23) in calves below 1 year of age, 37.2% (16/43) in cattle between 1 and 3 years, 61.3% (46/75) in cattle above 3 years and 72% (18/25) in buffalo above 1 year. Dental fluorosis was common in buffalo compared to cattle of all the age groups. Fluoride levels in fodder and water, consumed by the animals were much higher than the recommended permissible limit. Mean fluoride concentrations in serum and urine were 1.53 +/- 1.27 and 26.4 +/- 6.17 mg l(-1) in calves below 1 year of age, 0.56 +/- 0.17 and 26.2 +/- 3.86 mg l(-1) in cattle of 1-3 years, 0.49 +/- 1.13 and 27.5 +/- 4.63 mg l(-1) in cattle above 3 years and 0.60 +/- 0.07 and 28.6 +/- 4.73 mg l(-1) in buffalo over 1 year, respectively. The values were significantly (P < 0.01) higher than those of control animals kept over a 15-km distance from the factories. Fluoride concentrations in the environmental sample collected from the affected locality were 534.4 +/- 74.9 mg kg(-1) in fodder, 1.19 +/- 0.29 mg l(-1) in pond water and 0.479 +/- 0.351 mg l(-1) in tube well water. It was concluded that the consumption of fodder and water contaminated by the fumes and dusts emitting from superphosphate fertiliser plants resulted in the development of chronic fluorotic lesions in cattle and buffalo.