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Fluoride toxicity is a condition in which there are elevated levels of the fluoride ion in the body. Although fluoride is safe for dental health at low concentrations, [ 1 ] sustained consumption of large amounts of soluble fluoride salts is dangerous.
Consequently, the widespread use of phosphate fertilizers has increased soil fluoride concentrations. It has been found that food contamination from fertilizer is of little concern as plants accumulate little fluoride from the soil; of greater concern is the possibility of fluoride toxicity to livestock that ingest contaminated soils.
Water and food sources of fluoride include community water fluoridation, seafood, tea, and gelatin. [52] Soluble fluoride salts, of which sodium fluoride is the most common, are toxic, and have resulted in both accidental and self-inflicted deaths from acute poisoning. [4]
In 2022, notes the CDC, more than 209 million people, or 72.3% of the U.S. population served by public water supplies, had access to water with fluoride levels that prevent tooth decay.
Hydrogen fluoride is typically produced by the reaction between sulfuric acid and pure grades of the mineral fluorite: [14] CaF 2 + H 2 SO 4 → 2 HF + CaSO 4. About 20% of manufactured HF is a byproduct of fertilizer production, which generates hexafluorosilicic acid. This acid can be degraded to release HF thermally and by hydrolysis:
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because high levels could pose a risk to the intellectual development of children.
In fact, 75% of fluoride intake comes from drinking water with added fluoride and from food and beverages, such as sodas and fruit juice, made with fluoridated water, according to the CDC.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the recommended level of fluoride to 0.7 mg/L. [50] In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on the recommendation of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) for fluoridation of community water systems ...