Abstract

Fluoride emissions from an aluminum plant in New York State just west to the bridge to Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, are in compliance with New York State and U.S. Federal standards. Ambient air fluoride virtually never exceeds New York State standards. In a New York State dairy farm, downwind from the aluminum plant about 40% of the time and with the fields within 1300 to 2800 m from the plant, fluoride contamination of forage ranged from 13 to 25 ppm, well below the 40 ppm which is the “tolerance” level by National Academy of Sciences. Sixty-three of 82 dairy cattle on that farm were slaughtered in 1979 because of chronic fluoride poisoning. In the 19 cattle left on the farm in June, 1979, there was no dental fluorosis in calves less than 4 months of age, mild to moderate dental fluorosis in older calves and heifers and severe dental fluorosis in the 4 young adult cattle. Ash fluoride in a stillborn calf was 280 ppm and in the oldest cattle 2800; the increase was significantly correlated to age. It is concluded that New York State and U.S. Federal standards for fluoride emissions, New York State standards for ambient air fluoride and National Academy of Sciences “tolerance” levels for ingestion of fluoride do not protect cattle health.

• Related Studies :

  • Dental fluorosis and caries in high-fluoride districts in Sweden.

    An investigation of the occurrence of fluorosis and caries was carried out in districts in Sweden with extremely high fluoride (F) concentrations in the drinking water. In areas with ? 10 ppm F* severe fluorosis, DEAN'S Index Grade 3 and 4, occurred on all permanent teeth and most of the

  • Endemic fluorosis: an analysis of needs and possibilities based on case studies in Kenya

    The decline in prevalence of dental caries in the western world is largely ascribed to the protective role of fluoride in water. However, in several Third World regions, its presence in excessive amounts has been detrimental to the health of resident communities due to the resulting endemic dental and skeletal

  • A reaction-time study of social, health, and personal attributions in relation to fluorosed teeth.

    This reaction time study assessed the valence and strength of evaluations of people with differing levels of fluorosed teeth. Eighty participants rated photographs of smiling faces with four levels of digitally manipulated fluorosed teeth. Faces were presented on a computer screen for a period of 2000 ms followed by a

  • Fluorosis in dairy cattle

    The investigation of a high incidence of arthritis in 21 dairy herds disclosed elevated fluorine levels in bone samples. In every herd except one, where herbage and water was contaminated by industrial fall-out, the main source of the fluorine was from mineral supplements. In a few herds, purchased cake or

  • Dental and early-stage skeletal fluorosis in children induced by fluoride in brick-tea

    Fluorosis from brick-tea was discovered during the last decade in western and northern parts of China. Dental fluorosis has a high prevalence among children in these brick-tea endemic areas, but skeletal fluorosis does not normally become apparent until adulthood. In July 2002 we examined 132 primary school children, age 8

• Related FAN Content :

  • Dental Fluorosis in the U.S. 1950-2004

    Before the widespread use of fluoride in dentistry, dental fluorosis was rarely found in western countries. Today, with virtually every toothpaste now containing fluoride, and most U.S. water supplies containing fluoride chemicals, dental fluorosis rates have reached unprecedented levels. In the 1950s, it was estimated that only 10% of children in

  • Mechanisms by Which Fluoride Causes Dental Fluorosis Remain Unknown

    When it comes to how fluoride impacts human health, no tissue in the body has been studied more than the teeth. Yet, despite over 50 years of research, the mechanism by which fluoride causes dental fluorosis (a hypo-mineralization of the enamel that results in significant staining of the teeth) is not

  • Diagnostic Criteria for Dental Fluorosis: The TSIF ("Total Surface Index of Fluorosis")

    The traditional criteria (the "Dean Index") for diagnosing dental fluorosis was developed in the first half of the 20th century by H. Trendley Dean. While the Dean Index is still widely used in surveys of fluorosis -- including the CDC's national surveys of fluorosis in the United States -- dental

  • Dental Fluorosis Is a "Hypo-mineralization" of Enamel

    Teeth with fluorosis have an increase in porosity in the subsurface enamel ("hypomineralization"). The increased porosity of enamel found in fluorosis is a result of a fluoride-induced impairment in the clearance of proteins (amelogenins) from the developing teeth. Despite over 50 years of research, the exact mechanism by which fluoride impairs amelogin

  • Moderate/Severe Dental Fluorosis

    In its "moderate" and severe forms, fluoride causes a marked increase in the porosity of the enamel. After eruption into mouth, the porous enamel of moderate to severe fluorosis readily takes up stain, creating permanent brown and black discolorations of the teeth. In addition to extensive staining, teeth with moderate to severe fluorosis are more prone to attrition and wear - leading to pitting, chipping, and decay.