Abstract

A China-Japan joint project was carried out to study the incidence of fluorosis caused by coal burning in China from 1995 to 1997.

The health survey covered a control area and two flourosis areas. In those research areas, drinking water was not polluted with fluorides. The survey was designed to analyze the health status of people exposed to fluorides and evaluate the relationships between the dose and incidence of fluorosis. The concentration of airborne pollutants in both indoor and outdoor air was measured. The concentration of fluoride in the urine was analyzed and definite diagnoses for dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis were determined.

As a result, the incidence of coal burning fluorosis was confirmed in studied areas. Moreover, the fluorosis was caused not only by the direct inhalation of the airbone fluorides in indoor air but also by the intake of cereals polluted with fluorides. Fluoride was contained in both coal and soil. Therefore the mixture of coal and soil used for the adjustment of fire energy contributed to the air pollution to a great extent. The typical polluted crops were red pepper, corn and potato. An extremely high concentration of fluoride in the urine of residents in the polluted areas was detected.

• Related Studies :

  • Effects of water improvement and defluoridation on fluorosis-endemic areas in China: A meta-analysis.

    Highlights The first analysis of the effect of improving water quality and reducing fluoride in China over 40 years. Analysis of the effect of water improvement and fluoride reduction in different provinces of China. We analyzed the effect of water improvement on dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, and fluoride content

  • Studies on fluorosis in Mehsana District of North Gujarat.

    A survey was conducted in eighteen fluoride endemic villages in Mehsana District of North Gujarat (India). The individuals afflicted with fluorosis were examined for apparent mottled teeth and skeletal complications. Samples of urine and blood of these individuals along with drinking water were collected and compared with samples obtained from

  • Incidence of fluorosis and urinary fluoride concentration are not always positively correlated with drinking water fluoride level.

    The aim of this study was to assess the effect of fluoride on human health, focusing on the incidence of fluorosis, urinary fluoride concentration and fluoride level in drinking water in three fluoride-affected villages of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India. In one village urinary fluoride concentration was very high along

  • Biomarkers for the Assessment of Fluoride Exposure in Children.

    Due to practical difficulties in quantifying fluoride exposure, the ability of various biomarkers to predict exposure has been investigated previously. However, the results are inadequate for validation of their application and usefulness. This study aimed to investigate the association between contemporary/recent biomarkers of fluoride exposure and total daily fluoride intake

  • [Relationship between fluoride exposure, orthopedic injuries and bone formation markers in patients with coal-burning fluorosis].

    Chronic exposure to fluoride is a public health problem worldwide. We explored the relationship between fluoride exposure, orthopedic injuries and bone formation markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone Gla protein (BGP) in participants with coal-burning fluorosis in Hehua Village (coal-burning fluorosis endemic area) in Zhijin County of Guizhou Province and Zhangguan

• Related FAN Content :

  • "Mild" Dental Fluorosis: Perceptions & Psychological Impact

    The vast majority of research has found that patients, parents, and the general public alike view mild fluorosis (TF score 3) as a significant blemish of the teeth, one that is likely to embarrass the affected child to a degree that cosmetic treatment would be warranted.

  • X-Ray Diagnosis of Skeletal Fluorosis

    In 1937, Kaj Roholm published his seminal study Fluorine Intoxication in which he described three phases of bone changes that occur in skeletal fluorosis. (See below). These three phases, which are detectable by x-ray, have been widely used as a diagnostic guide for detecting the disease. They describe an osteosclerotic bone disease that develops first in the axial skeleton (the spine, pelvis, and ribs), and ultimately results in extensive calcification of ligaments and cartilage, as well as bony outgrowths such as osteophytes and exostoses. Subsequent research has found, however, that x-rays provide a very crude measure for diagnosing fluorosis since the disease can cause symptoms and effects (e.g., osteoarthritis) before, and in the absence of, radiologicaly detectable osteosclerosis in the spine.

  • Fluoride & Spinal Stenosis

    Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces in the spine that results in pressure being placed on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots. Although stenosis can develop without symptoms, it may produce numbness, tingling, pain and difficulty in walking, as well as a heavy/tired feeling in the legs. It is estimated that 250,000 to 500,000 Americans currently have symptoms of spinal stenosis. Skeletal fluorosis is one cause of stenosis.

  • Racial Disparities in Dental Fluorosis

    In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control published the results of a national survey of dental fluorosis conducted between 1999 and 2002. According to the CDC, black children in the United States have significantly higher rates of dental fluorosis than either white or Hispanic children. This was not the first time that black children were found to suffer higher rates of dental fluorosis. At least five other studies -- dating as far back as the 1960s -- have found black children in the United States are disproportionately impacted by dental fluorosis.

  • Fluoride Content of Tea

    Tea, particularly tea drinks made with lower quality older leaves, contain high levels of fluoride. Because of these high levels, research has found that individuals who drink large amounts of tea can develop skeletal fluorosis -- a painful bone disease caused by excessive fluoride intake. Since skeletal fluorosis is often misdiagnosed by