Fluoride is currently found in nature, as part of rocks and salts. Also, it is used in the industry and the human health, whose toxic effects are dose-dependent. It is a usual component of water and the upper limit of its concentration in water accepted by the WHOfor human consumption is 1.5 ppm. Exposure to fluoride from natural sources is increasing and few studies of the groundwater concentration of fluoride have been carried out in Argentina. The aim of this work was to describe the levels of fluoride in groundwater of Santa Fe, Argentina, and evaluate changes through time and distance. Water from wells was collected from different areas and water fluoride concentration was within the security range in 72% of the towns. The comparison of this study with a previous one of 1945 revealed an increase of fluoride concentration in some areas. All values are shown as mean ± SEM and expressed as ppm. The linear regression of fluoride concentration in 1945 as a function of fluoride concentration in 2011 was significantly lower than 1 (slope=0.67 ± 0.072, p<0.05), indicating an increase in the amount of fluoride concentration in well water through this decades. An important variability among the wells of the same town was observed, independently of the distance between them. As an example, 3 wells of a city (Venado Tuerto) are shown, where fluoride concentration was different among them ANOVA p<0.05, well 1: 1.92 ± 0.06, well 2: 2.80 ± 0.13, well 3: 0.25 ± 0.01. In addition, an important variability was observed in a same well through time. Fluoride concentration in three consecutive months are shown: February: 1.43 ± 0.03, March: 1.45± 0.02 and April: 0.95 ± 0.03, ANOVA p<0.05. Conclusion: Fluoride concentration in groundwater increased in the last 7 decades. The use of fertilizers and other agricultural technologies could be the cause of the increase. Fluoride concentration in groundwater is different even in wells of the same area and in the same well through time. As a consequence, temporal sampling of different wells should be performed in order to determine fluoride concentration in an area.

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