Flúor nas águas subterrâneas dos municípios de Feira da Mata e Santana (BA): comparação dos teores do fluoreto e seu significado na saúde da população

This research aimed to investigate the chemical composition of the groundwater of the municipalities of Feira da Mata and Santana, in western Bahia, with an emphasis on the distribution of fluoride concentrations. Water was collected in fifteen wells drilled in the pellet-carbonate rocks of the Bambuí Group in the year 2012. The physicochemical variables were measured in situ by means of a multiparameter probe. The analysis of cations given up by ICP-OES and anions by titrimetry, spectrophotometry and colorimetry (SPANSD) (F). In the municipality of Feira da Mata, bicarbonated calcium (87%) and sodium bicarbonate (13%) occurred, in which the fluoride levels exceeded the fluoride potability limit for 13% of the wells. In the municipality of Santana, bicarbonated calcium or mixed calcium (63%) and sodium bicarbonate (23%) waters were representative, in which the fluoride levels exceeded the potability limit for 40% of the wells. The distribution of fluoride levels in the groundwater of the municipalities of Feira da Mata and Santana indicates that the quality monitoring of these and the epidemiological surveillance of dental caries or fluorosis should be prioritized.