Abstract

This is a review of findings on workers in an aluminum plant with industrial fluorosis. Early signs of the disease are nocturnal back pains and restriction of the rotation of the trunk. Stage I of the disease usually occurs after 10 years, stage II after 15 years and stage III after 20 years. The diagnosis was established at an early stage through biopsies of the iliac crest by histological and microanalytical determinations of fluoride. A fluoride level exceeding 4000 ppm in the iliac crest ash was found to be associated with typical signs of fluorosis. The early histological changes including the microradiographic findings and typical foci of calcification in the corticalis are demonstrated.

Three necropsies in patie.nts with fluorosis at different stages are reviewed. On. e of them showed a lesion in the cells of the anterior horn of the spinal cord which was believed to be related to fluorine. Cristallographic studies revealed that crystals of fluorotic bone mineral had become more slender. Increase in gastric acidity was associated with greater sensitivity toward fluoride. Prophylaxis and treatment of industrial fluorosis are discussed.

• Related Studies :

  • Exposure to fluoride in smelter workers in a primary aluminum industry in India

    BACKGROUND: Fluoride is used increasingly in a variety of industries in India. Emission of fluoride dust and fumes from the smelters of primary aluminum producing industries is dissipated in the work environment and poses occupational health hazards. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of health complaints and its association with fluoride level

  • When less is more: a comparison of models to predict fluoride accumulation in free-ranging kangaroos.

    Highlights Exposure models can predict toxic effects of fluoride consumption in wildlife. Exposure models that vary in intensity of field data collection warrant comparison. Simple spatial metrics can predict fluoride accumulation in a free-ranging mammal. Complex exposure models may not perform better than simple spatial metrics. Vegetation contaminated by industrial fluoride

  • Fluoridation of public water supplies and its relation to musculoskeletal diseases

    The fluoride content in parts per 1,000,000 of ash was estimated in 18 various bone samples from 14 patients with different forms of arthritis and from 1 patient who did not have arthritis, all of whom had ingested fluoridated water for a period ranging from three years and five months

  • The effect of fluoride on bone

    Conclusions Although it is well known that the ingestion of high levels of fluoride can give rise to severe lesions in the skeletal tissues, such effects have never been found radiographically in persons using a water supply, containing less than 4 p.p.m fluorlde throughout life. A histological study of thirty ribs taken

  • Association between fluoride, magnesium, aluminum and bone quality in renal osteodystrophy

    INTRODUCTION: Trace elements are known to influence bone metabolism; however, their effects may be exacerbated in renal failure because dialysis patients are unable to excrete excess elements properly. Our study correlated bone quality in dialysis patients with levels of bone fluoride, magnesium, and aluminum. A number of studies have linked

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride & Osteoarthritis

    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.

  • 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.

  • "Pre-Skeletal" Fluorosis

    As demonstrated by the studies below, skeletal fluorosis may produce adverse symptoms, including arthritic pains, clinical osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal disturbances, and bone fragility, before the classic bone change of fluorosis (i.e., osteosclerosis in the spine and pelvis) is detectable by x-ray. Relying on x-rays, therefore, to diagnosis skeletal fluorosis will invariably fail to protect those individuals who are suffering from the pre-skeletal phase of the disease. Moreover, some individuals with clinical skeletal fluorosis will not develop an increase in bone density, let alone osteosclerosis, of the spine. Thus, relying on unusual increases in spinal bone density will under-detect the rate of skeletal fluoride poisoning in a population.

  • 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.

  • Kidney Patients Are at Increased Risk of Fluoride Poisoning

    It is well established that individuals with kidney disease are susceptible to suffering bone damage and other ill effects from low levels of fluoride exposure. Kidney patients are at elevated risk because when kidneys are damaged they are unable to efficiently excrete fluoride from the body. As a result, kidney patients