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Predicting geogenic groundwater fluoride contamination throughout China
Hailong Cao1, Xianjun Xie1, Yanxin Wang1
1School of Environmental Studies & State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)
|December 31, 2021
Summary
High fluoride groundwater in China poses a risk to 89 million people. Artificial neural networks identified high-risk areas, aiding mitigation efforts for endemic fluorosis.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Public Health
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Endemic fluorosis is prevalent across China.
- Long-term ingestion of fluoride-rich groundwater is a primary cause.
- Understanding fluoride distribution is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model the relationship between groundwater fluoride concentrations and environmental factors in China.
- To predict areas at high risk of exceeding safe fluoride levels.
- To generate a nationwide risk map for targeted interventions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized artificial neural networks (ANN) to analyze groundwater fluoride data.
- Incorporated climatic, geological, and soil parameters as predictors.
- Developed a high-resolution risk map (0.5 × 0.5 arc minutes).
Main Results:
- ANN model achieved 80.5% accuracy and 0.86 AUC in test datasets.
- Climatic variables were identified as the most influential predictors.
- High-risk zones identified in Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Shandong.
Conclusions:
- Approximately 89 million people (6% of the population) are potentially at risk.
- The risk map aids authorities in prioritizing mitigation and water improvement projects.
- Targeted interventions can reduce the burden of fluorosis caused by high fluoride groundwater.
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