Fluorosis and arsenicosis： An update

Endemic fluorosis, caused by excess fluoride in water, is widespread in the arid and semiarid tracts of India. This disorder is of recent origin and developed due to certain faulty water management practices. After Eager reported ‘dental mottling＇ among emigrants from Pozzuli in Italy in 1901, several such reports came from all over the world. From 3 works published independently from Pennsylvania, Arizona and South Africa in 1931, it was known that this disorder is caused by drinking water containing over 1 mg/L fluoride during formation of permanent teeth among children.‘Skeletal fluorosis/Osteofluorosis＇, affecting bones and joints among adults was reported by Moeller and Gudjonsson in 1932 due to accumulation of fluoride in hard tissues by drinking water with over 7 mg/L fluoride for several years. In course of time fluorosis has been reported in over 22 countries from all over the world. Fluorosis spreads now among 67 million people in the entire arid and semiarid tracts of India. The work of National Institute of Nutrition of India at Hyderabad in 1977 revealed the spread of endemic ‘genu valgum＇ （knock-knee） crippling lower limbs right from childhood in association with fluorosis in most parts of India. Although preliminary work revealed that genu valgum is caused by drinking waters poor in calcium and rich in molybdenum, efforts these disorders by supplying low-fluoride water should be taken up to know its exact cause to the communities could not so eradicate The governmental efforts to eradicate the problem.     

Brick tea and its health impact

Tea bush is one of the plants cultivated in acidic soil, and is a typical hyper-accumulator of F and Al. Brick tea is a kind of brick-formed tea compressed using the older and coarse leaves and branches of tea trees. Brick tea mixed with milk is drunk as a daily indispensable beverage for Mongols, Ewenki, and other minority nationalities in the pastoral and semi-pastoral areas of Northwest China. It is reported that drinking brick tea can result in dental and skeletal fluorosis due to the high F content in it. Because Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） is related with Al in human brain, and Al has potential toxicities for skeletal and neural systems,     

Local provenance in rehabilitation of degraded landscapes: a case study from the Hawkesbury–Nepean catchment, Australia

Throughout Australia thousands of volunteers are engaged in Landcare projects that should help rehabilitate degraded landscapes. Many of these projects involve tree planting, but their seed is not necessarily of local provenance. Based on a survey of 85 Landcare groups working in the Hawkesbury–Nepean catchment, data were collected about Landcare groups' knowledge of their seed source, understanding of local provenance and the ecosystem in which they were planting trees and the source of funding for their projects. The findings from the study indicate that about one in five (21%) of the groups surveyed that introduced plant material were not aware of local provenance issues. Indirect indications were that a large number of Landcare groups state-wide may be doing more harm than good to the landscape while trying to rehabilitate it. The data also showed that one in seven (13%) of the groups funded by the Australian Government through the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) had limited awareness of local provenance issues. With millions of dollars being spent on 'works on the ground', it would be prudent to allocate some funds to document and monitor current Landcare activities, so that the environmental outcomes can be quantified and more effective Landcare policies can be developed in the future.     

横断山区植物区系的基本特点

横断山区植物区系的基本特点为,植物种类多,古老植物多,特有植物多,地理成分复杂,各地理成分联系复杂,植物分化强烈。     

河套地区盐碱化和砷氟中毒问题探讨

内蒙古河套地区多目标地球化学调查表明，河套地区总体上为无公害、绿色土地。作为我国北方重要的粮食生产基地可以为全国生产出优质的绿色产品；但河套地区也具有比较严重的生态地球化学问题，首先是土壤的盐渍化制约了河套地区农业的发展，其次是全区以砷氟中毒为主的地方病比较严重，极大地影响了该区人民的身体健康。此外，包钢尾矿坝作为一个局部性的生态问题，对包头市民产生重大的影响，对其周围的居民身体健康造成严重危害。     

从地方病和环境污染性疾病看微量元素与钙的关系

从地方病和环境污染性疾病看微量元素与钙的关系李广生井玲（白求恩医科大学,长春１３００２１）关键词微量元素钙地方病环境污染性疾病我国几种主要地方病都与一定的微量元素有关,这已为大家所熟知。而值得重视的是,除了微量元素之外,它们又都在某些环节上与宏量元素...     

Evaluation of the biological toxicity of fluorine in Antarctic krill

Antarctic krill is a potentially nutritious food source for humans, but fluorine(F) toxicity is a matter of concern. To evaluate the toxicity of F in Antarctic krill, 30 Wistar rats were divided into three groups with different dietary regimens: a control group, a krill treatment group(150 mg·kg-1 F), and a sodium fluoride(NaF) treatment group(150 mg·kg-1 F). After three months, F concentrations in feces, plasma, and bone were determined, and the degree of dental and skeletal fluorosis was assessed. The F concentrations in plasma and bone from the krill treatment group were 0.167 0±0.020 4 mg.L-1 and 2 709.8±301.9 mg·kg-1, respectively, compared with 0.043 8±0.005 5 mg·L-1 and 442.4±60.7 mg·kg-1, respectively, in samples from the control group. Concentrations of F in plasma and bone in the krill treatment group were higher than in the control group, but lower than in the NaF treatment group. The degree of dental fluorosis in the krill treatment group was moderate, compared with severe in the NaF treatment group and normal in the control group. The degree of skeletal fluorosis did not change significantly in any group. These results showed that the toxicity of F in Antarctic krill was lower than for an equivalent concentration of F in NaF, but it was toxic for rats consuming krill in large quantities. To conclude, we discuss possible reasons for the reduced toxicity of F in Antarctic krill. The present study provides a direct toxicological reference for the consideration of Antarctic krill for human consumption.     

安徽省淮北平原地下水环境与工作方向

安徽省淮北平原位于该省北部,平原西部阜阳市地面沉降中心最大沉降量1501mm,采水型地面沉降进一步扩大,推测平原西部地区已发生大范围的地面沉降.淮北平原区饮水型高氟地方病广布,地氟病区占全区总面积的40%.其中轻病村17942个,占病村总数79.5%;中度病村4529个,占20.0%;重病村148个,占病村总数0.65%.病区乡人口总数1344.4万人,占淮北平原总人口的66%.区域地下水水位持续下降,地下水质量不断劣化.本文通过对以上主要水环境问题的论述,提出了平原区今后工作方向的建议.     

POSSIBLE HYDROGEOCHEMICAL PRECONDITIONS FOR KASHIN－BECK DISEASE IN TRANSBAIKALIA

ＰＯＳＳＩＢＬＥＨＹＤＲＯＧＥＯＣＨＥＭＩＣＡＬＰＲＥＣＯＮＤＩＴＩＯＮＳＦＯＲＫＡＳＨＩＮ－ＢＥＣＫＤＩＳＥＡＳＥＩＮＴＲＡＮＳＢＡＩＫＡＬＩＡ￥ＺａｍａｎａＬｅｏｎｉｄＶａｓｉｌｅｖｉｃｈ（ＣｈｉｔａＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＮａｔｕｒａｌＲｅｓｏｕ...