Abstract

Despite having an exceptionally high fluorine (F) concentration in their bones (up to 9000 µg/g in the present study), radiographs of mature Ade?lie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) do not show any symptoms of skeletal fluorosis. In this research, a series of chemical fractionation and speciation analyses for F gave a tentative explanation for this seemingly abnormal fact. The results showed that the inorganic fraction of F in penguin bones represented only about one-third of the total F with the rest bound organically, mostly in the form of fluorinated chitin or its derivatives. A laboratory experiment with rats on a high F intake indicated that chitin might prevent skeletal fluorosis by effectively combining with F and inhibiting abnormal mineralization, thereby decreasing the expected increase in bone mineral density.

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    While the osteoarthritic effects that occurred from fluoride exposure were once considered to be limited to those with skeletal fluorosis, recent research shows that fluoride can cause osteoarthritis in the absence of traditionally defined fluorosis. Conventional methods used for detecting skeletal fluorosis, therefore, will fail to detect the full range of people suffering from fluoride-induced osteoarthritis.

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