Studies Archive111
Showing 10 of 181:
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Skeletal Changes in Industrial and Endemic Fluorosis
Fluorotic changes in bones and joints were evaluated in 105 aluminum workers and 20 residents of an endemic fluorosis region in India.
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Industrial Fluorosis
A highly significant relationship of exposure to fluoride was established with the frequency of back and neck surgery, fractures, symptoms of musculoskeletal disease and past history of diseases of bones and joints in the absence of the typical findings of skeletal fluorosis. Monitoring exposed workers for the early manifestations of “musculoskeletal fluorosis” is recommended prior to the development of destructive and degenerative changes of the skeleton.
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Fluoride & Osteoclasts
It is well established that fluoride exposure can increase bone formation by increasing the proliferation of osteoblasts. Less clear is fluoride’s impact on bone resorption and the cells (osteoclasts) that resorb bone. Many have assumed that fluoride’s main effect on bone resorption and osteoclasts is an inhibitory one (i.e., less bone resorption). While evidence does […]
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Fluoride & Osteocytes
The osteocyte is a type of bone cell which is increasingly believed to play an important role in repairing defects that arise in bone, thereby maintaining the bone’s structural integrity. Because osteocytes are engulfed in fluoride-rich bone mineral and help resorb the bone as part of the remodeling process, they can be exposed to high […]
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Fluoride & Secondary Hyperparathyroidism
Among humans with skeletal fluorosis, fluoride may cause secondary hyperparathyroidism or cause bone damage resembling secondary hyperparathyroidism. Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a condition in which the parathyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone. The condition, which commonly results from kidney disease, is triggered when the levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood are too low. In order to ensure a sufficient supply of calcium and phosphous in the blood, the parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates bone cells (osteoclasts) to break down the bone.
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Fluoride & Osteopetrosis
One of the most common radiological findings in skeletal fluorosis is osteosclerosis – a hardening of bones with a blurring of the trabecular structure. In advanced cases, the osteosclerotic form of fluorosis may closely resemble the appearance of osteopetrosis, a “marble bone” disease in which the bones are dense, but fragile and prone to fracture.
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Mayo Clinic: Fluoridation & Bone Disease in Renal Patients
The available evidence suggests that some patients wtih long-term renal failure are being affected by drinking water with as little as 2 ppm fluoride. The finding of adverse effects in patients drinking water with 2 ppm of fluoride suggests that a few similar cases may be found in patients imbibing 1 ppm, especially if large volumes are consumed, or in heavy tea drinkers. The finding of adverse effects in patients drinking water with 2 ppm of fluoride suggests that a few similar cases may be found in patients imbibing 1 ppm, especially if large volumes are consumed, or in heavy tea drinkers and if fluoride is indeed the cause. It would seem prudent, therefore, to monitor the fluoride intake of patients with renal failure living in high fluoride areas.
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Factors which increase the risk for skeletal fluorosis
The risk for developing skeletal fluorosis, and the course the disease will take, is not solely dependent on the dose of fluoride ingested. Indeed, people exposed to similar doses of fluoride may experience markedly different effects. While the wide range in individual response to fluoride is not yet fully understood, the following are some of the factors that are believed to play a role.
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Skeletal Fluorosis & Individual Variability
One of the common fallacies in the research on skeletal fluorosis is the notion that there is a uniform level of fluoride that is safe for everyone in the population. These “safety thresholds” have been expressed in terms of (a) bone fluoride content, (b) daily dose, (c) water fluoride level, (d) urinary fluoride level, and (e) blood fluoride level. The central fallacy with each of these alleged safety thresholds, however, is that they ignore the wide range of individual susceptibility in how people respond to toxic substances, including fluoride.
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Estimated “Threshold” Doses for Skeletal Fluorosis
For over 40 years health authorities stated that in order to develop crippling skeletal fluorosis, one would need to ingest between 20 and 80 mg of fluoride per day for at least 10 or 20 years. This belief, however, which played an instrumental role in shaping current fluoride policies, is now acknowledged by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and other US health authorities to be incorrect.