Toxic Effects of Substances Chiefly Nonmedicinal As to Source Codexery

Fluoride toxicity

Elevated fluoride ion levels cause toxicity, affecting bones and organs.

Sustained consumption of large amounts of soluble fluoride salts is dangerous, though low concentrations are safe for dental health.[1] Elevated fluoride ion levels in the body define the condition known as fluoride toxicity.[1]

Quick Facts

Field
Emergency medicine, toxicology

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

The lethal dose of sodium fluoride for most adults is estimated at 5 to 10 g.[2] Gastrointestinal discomfort can occur at doses 15 to 20 times lower than lethal doses.[2] Accidental ingestion of insecticides or rodenticides that contain sodium fluoride was the primary cause of acute fluoride toxicity cases in the past.[3] Currently, in developed nations, dental fluoride products are the main source of fluoride exposure for most people.[3]

Several water fluoridation equipment failures have occurred, with one well-known event taking place in Alaska.[4] Naturally high fluoride levels in well water have poisoned an estimated 60 million people in India.[5] Children's bone deformities show the effects of this poisoning most clearly.[5] China, Uzbekistan, and Ethiopia are among the countries where similar or larger problems are expected.[5]

What the research sources say

The NTP found insufficient data to determine if the 0.7 mg/L level recommended for U.S. water supplies affects children’s IQ.[6] The U.S. Health and Human Services Department recommended a maximum of 0.7 mg fluoride per liter of water in 2015, updating the previous range.[7] The World Health Organization recommends a fluoride level of 0.5 to 1.0 mg/L for optimal dental health.[8] The U.S. National Research Council found the evidence for a dose-response relationship between fractures and fluoride levels of 1–4 mg/L to be suggestive but insufficient for firm conclusions.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "CDC Scientific Statement on Community Water Fluoridation", January 23, 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gosselin, "Clinical toxicology of commercial products", Williams & Wilkins, 1984, p. III–185–93; Baselt, "Disposition of toxic drugs and chemicals in man", Biomedical Publications, 2008, p. 636–40; IPCS, "Environmental health criteria 227 (Fluoride)", International Programme on Chemical Safety, World Health Organization, 2002, p. 100; Bradford D. Gessner, "Acute fluoride poisoning from a public water system", New England Journal of Medicine, 13 January 1994, p. 95–99 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nochimson G. (2008). Toxicity, Fluoride . eMedicine. Retrieved 2008-12-28.; "Fluoride ingestion in children: a review of 87 cases", Pediatrics, November 1991, p. 907–12; "Survival after hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia and cardiac arrest following mild hydrofluoric acid burn", Clinical Toxicology, November 2010, p. 953–5; "Marked hypocalcemia and ventricular fibrillation in two pediatric patients exposed to a fluoride-containing wheel cleaner", Annals of Emergency Medicine, December 1996, p. 713–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bradford D. Gessner, "Acute fluoride poisoning from a public water system", New England Journal of Medicine, 13 January 1994, p. 95–99 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pearce, "When the Rivers Run Dry: Journeys Into the Heart of the World's Water Crisis", Key Porter, 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "Fluoride Exposure: Neurodevelopment and Cognition", August 21, 2024. facts only, no text reused. ntp.niehs.nih.gov
  7. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Archive-It – News Releases", 3 September 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: WHO Expert Committee on Oral Health Status and Fluoride Use, "Fluorides and oral health", World Health Organization, 1994 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Fluoride toxicity" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: National Research Council, "Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's Standards", National Academies Press, 2017-02-12 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Fluoride toxicity (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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