Fluoride Risks for Kidney Patients

Kidney disease markedly increases an individual’s susceptibility to fluoride toxicity. The kidneys are responsible for ridding the body of ingested fluoride, and thereby preventing the buildup of toxic levels of fluoride in the body. In healthy adults, the kidneys are able to excrete approximately 50% of an ingested dose of fluoride. However, in adults with kidney disease the kidneys may excrete as little as 10 to 20% of an ingested dose – thus increasing the body burden of fluoride and increasing an individual’s susceptibility to fluoride poisoning.