ABSTRACT
In addition, high F concentrations in drinking water (>1,500 μg L−1) cause both dental and bone fluorosis in rural and periurban inhabitants without access to a central water supply. Hydroarsenism and fluorosis must be considered a public health issue because they are high frequency events. Estimate of potentially affected population at the Chaco-Pampean plain reaches from 2 to 8 million inhabitants considering the 10 μg L−1 limit (Bundschuh et al., 2008). However, generalized and complete studies on the sources of As, F and associated trace elements, their mobility and their concentration in surface waters and shallow aquifers are still lacking, particularly for groundwaters close to surface where the highest As and F concentrations are found.
