Occurrence of Fluoride in Arsenic-rich Surface Waters: a Case Study in the Pampa Plain, Argentina.

ROSSO, J.J; PUNTORIEROM.L.; TRONCOSOJ.J.; VOLPEDO, A.V; FERNANDEZ CIRELLI, A

BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY

SPRINGER

Año: 2011 vol. 87 p. 409 - 413

0007-4861

High levels of fluoride (F) in freshwater ecosystems may be harmful for humans and animals, particularly, aquatic biota. In this paper, the concentrations of F in arsenic-rich lotic ecosystems of the Pampa Plain, Argentina, were recorded. The relationship of F with the concentration of arsenic (As) was explored. Our results show that F in these freshwater ecosystems ranged from 0.15 mg L-1 to 1.65 mg L-1. Concentrations of F were highly and significantly (r = 0.71; p = 0.001) correlated with As. Our results allow us to postulate the existence of two roughly discrete zones in surface drainages of Buenos Aires Province, which may be differentiated by the level of natural contamination of their surface waters by F and As.