Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence of occupational asthma in the seven aluminum smelters of Australia and New Zealand from 1991 to 2006.
METHODS: Incidence and exposure data were collected by survey from the smelters prospectively during the study period.
RESULTS: The incidence of occupational asthma across all smelters combined was highest in 1992 at 9.46/1,000/year, declining to 0.36/1,000/year in 2006; a 96.2% reduction. The incidence of occupational asthma was correlated with geometric mean total fluoride concentration, measured as personal samples from employees undertaking anode changing (r(s) = 0.497, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: The control of exposures, respiratory protection and pre-placement medical assessments undertaken during the study period seem to have contributed to the substantial decline in occupational asthma incidence.
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Fluoride Exposure Induces Inhibition of Sodium-and Potassium-Activated Adenosine Triphosphatase (Na+, K+-ATPase) Enzyme Activity: Molecular Mechanisms and Implications for Public Health.
In this study, several lines of evidence are provided to show that Na+ , K+ -ATPase activity exerts vital roles in normal brain development and function and that loss of enzyme activity is implicated in neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as increased risk of cancer, metabolic, pulmonary and
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Effects of fluoride exposure on mitochondrial function: Energy metabolism, dynamics, biogenesis and mitophagy.
Fluoride is ubiquitous in the environment. Furthermore, drinking water represents the main source of exposure to fluoride for humans. Interestingly, low fluoride concentrations have beneficial effects on bone and teeth development; however, chronic fluoride exposure has harmful effects on human health. Besides, preclinical studies associate fluoride toxicity with oxidative stress,
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Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards.
Excerpts: Summary Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to establish exposure standards for contaminants in public drinking-water systems that might cause any adverse effects on human health. These standards include the maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG), the maximum contaminant level (MCL), and the secondary
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Short-term exposures of rats to airborne hydrogen fluoride.
A series of acute inhalation exposures was performed with airborne hydrogen fluoride (HF) to establish the concentration response for nonlethal effects in the rat. Exposures were either 2 or 10 min long; concentrations ranged from 135 to 8621 ppm. Three additional exposures (20 to 48 ppm) were performed for 60
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Health survey of workers of an aluminum plant in China: III. Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory functions.
The respiratory symptoms and ventilatory lung functions of the production-line workers (F-exposed) at an aluminum plant in China have been studied. The data were compared with those obtained from the office workers (controls). F-exposed groups had a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms than controls and their complaints of phlegm were
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Fluoride Enhances Toxicity of Beryllium
Occupational exposure to beryllium is well-documented to put workers' health at risk. The two principal targets of beryllium poisoning are the respiratory system and the skin. Of all beryllium compounds, beryllium fluoride complexes (including beryllium fluoride and beryllium oxyfluoride) appear to be the most toxic. As shown below, studies dating back
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Respiratory Risks from Occupational Fluoride Exposure
Starting in the 1930s, scientists have observed that workers exposed to airborne fluorides suffer from an elevated rate of respiratory disorders. For over 50 years, however, US government and industry scientists made repeated assurances that the allowable level of fluoride dusts and gases in industrial workplaces would not cause any
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