Ecotoxicological insights into fluoride pollution affecting soil, plant and human health
8 affiliations
- 1Yunnan Provincial Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China; Yunnan International Joint Laboratory for Emission Reduction and Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils, Kunming 650500, China
- 2Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan
- 3School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- 4Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Eldoret, P.O. Box 1125, Eldoret 30100, Kenya
- 5Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
- 6State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China
- 7Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: [email protected]
- 8Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan; Department of Biology, Nakhchivan State University, Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Electronic address: [email protected]
Abstract
Fluoride contamination impacts the water-soil-plant continuum, with consequences for soil functions, crop performance, and dietary exposure. Although fluoride occurrence data are extensive, interpretation and cross-study comparability remain constrained by inconsistent reporting of total fluoride versus fluoride fractions up taken in edible plant parts, limited co-measurement across matched water-soil-plant compartments, and a shortage of long-term field evaluations of mitigation impacts on soil fertility and ecosystem services. To address these limitations, we (i) consolidate dominant sources and transfer pathways linking groundwater, soils, crops, and food webs; (ii) summarize the geochemical and soil controls governing the fluoride mobility and uptake, including pH/alkalinity, major-ion chemistry, Ca/Al/Fe-mediated complexation and precipitation, and sorption to clays and metal (hydr)oxides; (iii) integrate ecotoxicological evidence for soil processes and crop-relevant physiological endpoints; and (iv) critically assess the remediation and management options. Across the literature, a central finding is that risk is governed less by total soil fluoride inventories than by the fluoride concentrations up-taken in edible plant parts, which increases under alkaline conditions and in bicarbonate-, and sodium-rich systems and can be sustained through chronic irrigation loading. Evidences indicate that elevated fluoride suppresses microbial activity and enzyme functions essential for nutrient cycling, disrupts Ca-P homeostasis, reduces photosynthetic capacity in sensitive crops, and transfers to edible tissues and beverages, thereby increasing dietary exposure, including in vulnerable populations such as children. Hotspot assessments require explicit consideration of co-contaminant stressors and confounding geochemical conditions. We conclude that effective management should emphasize source control, mechanism-based immobilization (e.g., Ca-based amendments and targeted sorbents), and integrated approaches validated through multi-season field trials. Future priorities include standardized fraction metrics, matched compartment monitoring, crop dose-response datasets, and evaluation of remediation durability, agronomic trade-offs, and cost-effectiveness.
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BibTeX
@article{farooqi2026ecotoxicological,
title = {{Ecotoxicological insights into fluoride pollution affecting soil, plant and human health}},
author = {Zia Ur Rahman Farooqi and Abdul Karim and Ayesha Abdul Qadir and Ayesha Sonia and Waqas Mohy-Ud-Din and Enos Wamalwa Wambu and Qasim Ali and Fasih Ullah Haider and Mayank Anand Gururani and Usman Zulfiqar},
journal = {Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120295},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120295},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ecotoxicological insights into fluoride pollution affecting soil, plant and human health
AU - Zia Ur Rahman Farooqi
AU - Abdul Karim
AU - Ayesha Abdul Qadir
AU - Ayesha Sonia
AU - Waqas Mohy-Ud-Din
AU - Enos Wamalwa Wambu
AU - Qasim Ali
AU - Fasih Ullah Haider
AU - Mayank Anand Gururani
AU - Usman Zulfiqar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/22
JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
DO - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120295
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.120295
AB - Fluoride contamination impacts the water-soil-plant continuum, with consequences for soil functions, crop performance, and dietary exposure. Although fluoride occurrence data are extensive, interpretation and cross-study comparability remain constrained by inconsistent reporting of total fluoride versus fluoride fractions up taken in edible plant parts, limited co-measurement across matched water-soil-plant compartments, and a shortage of long-term field evaluations of mitigation impacts on soil fertility and ecosystem services. To address these limitations, we (i) consolidate dominant sources and transfer pathways linking groundwater, soils, crops, and food webs; (ii) summarize the geochemical and soil controls governing the fluoride mobility and uptake, including pH/alkalinity, major-ion chemistry, Ca/Al/Fe-mediated complexation and precipitation, and sorption to clays and metal (hydr)oxides; (iii) integrate ecotoxicological evidence for soil processes and crop-relevant physiological endpoints; and (iv) critically assess the remediation and management options. Across the literature, a central finding is that risk is governed less by total soil fluoride inventories than by the fluoride concentrations up-taken in edible plant parts, which increases under alkaline conditions and in bicarbonate-, and sodium-rich systems and can be sustained through chronic irrigation loading. Evidences indicate that elevated fluoride suppresses microbial activity and enzyme functions essential for nutrient cycling, disrupts Ca-P homeostasis, reduces photosynthetic capacity in sensitive crops, and transfers to edible tissues and beverages, thereby increasing dietary exposure, including in vulnerable populations such as children. Hotspot assessments require explicit consideration of co-contaminant stressors and confounding geochemical conditions. We conclude that effective management should emphasize source control, mechanism-based immobilization (e.g., Ca-based amendments and targeted sorbents), and integrated approaches validated through multi-season field trials. Future priorities include standardized fraction metrics, matched compartment monitoring, crop dose-response datasets, and evaluation of remediation durability, agronomic trade-offs, and cost-effectiveness.
SN - 0147-6513
SN - 1090-2414
ER -