Sources and toxicity of fluoride in the environment

Fluoride, a naturally occurring element, exists in combination with other elements as a fluoride compound, and is found naturally in water, foods, soil, and several minerals such as fluorite and fluorapatite. Fluoride normally enters the environment and human body through water, food, industrial exposure, drugs, cosmetics, etc. However, fluoride (F^?) contamination in groundwater has been recognized as a serious problem worldwide. The World Health Organization’s specified tolerance limit of fluoride in drinking water is 1.5 mg/L. Human disease caused by fluoride manifests itself in three forms: dental, skeletal, and non-skeletal fluorosis. Apart from teeth and bones, the interaction and involvement of soft tissues, organs, and other systems of the body with fluoride leads to non-skeletal fluorosis. It leads to many bone diseases, mottling of teeth, and lesions of the endocrine glands, thyroid, liver, kidney, and other organs. Fluoride ion concentration in drinking water can be easily estimated by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Various defluoridation techniques have been developed to reduce the fluoride content to the desired level including principally membrane and adsorption processes. Biosorption is still one of the most extensively used methods for defluoridation of drinking water due to it being cost-free or low cost and because of its viability.     

Synthesis of La-incorporated chitosan beads for fluoride removal from water

In this study, lanthanum incorporated chitosan beads (LCB) were synthesized using precipitation method and tested for fluoride removal from drinking water. The effect of various parameters like complexation and precipitation time, lanthanum loading and ammonia strength on fluoride removal have been studied. It is observed that the parameters for the synthesis of LCB have significant influence on development of LCB and in turn on fluoride removal capacity. The optimal condition for synthesis of LCB includes lanthanum loading: 10 wt%, complexation time: 60 min, precipitation time: 60 min, drying temperature: 75 °C for 72 h. The maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of LCB was found to be 4.7 mg/g and negligible release of lanthanum ion was observed. XRD analysis shows the presence of lanthanum hydroxide and amorphous nature of LCB. SEM of LCB shows the presence of oval lanthanum hydroxide particles spread over the chitosan matrix. Fluoride adsorption capacity has been calculated by applying Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The comparative study suggests that LCB shows four times greater fluoride adsorption capacity than the commercially used activated alumina.     

离子色谱-柱切换法测定土壤浸出液中的氟离子

建立了离子色谱-柱切换测定土壤浸出液中氟离子的方法。使用柱切换技术,将样品通过高聚物反相色谱柱进行在线预处理,分离氟离子和小分子有机酸,同时除去水溶性有机杂质,采用收集环收集氟离子并进入分析系统分析,消除了测定氟离子时普遍存在的干扰问题。分析系统的淋洗液为KOH溶液,流速为1.0 mL/min,采用抑制性电导检测,外标法定量。氟离子的线性范围为0.05~10.0 mg/L,相关系数为0.9999,加标回收率为103.4%~105.3%,相对标准偏差为2.0%~2.1%,检出限 (S/N=3)为5.50 μg/L。该方法适用于测定复杂基体样品中的氟离子。     

Adsorption equilibrium modeling and solution chemistry dependence of fluoride removal from water by trivalent-cation-exchanged zeolite F-9

Fluoride in drinking water above permissible levels is responsible for human dental and skeletal fluorosis. In this study, therefore, the large internal surface area of zeolite was utilized to create active sites for fluoride sorption by exchanging Na+-bound zeolite with Al3+ or La3+ ions. Fluoride removal from water using Al3+- and La3+-exchanged zeolite F-9 particles was subsequently investigated to evaluate the fluoride sorption characteristics of the sorbents. Equilibrium isotherms such as the two-site Langmuir (L), Freundlich (F), Langmuir-Freundlich (LF), Redlich-Peterson (RP), Toth (T), and Dubinin-Radushkevitch (DR) were successfully used to model the experimental data. Modeling results showed that the isotherm parameters weakly depended on the solution temperature. From the DR isotherm parameters, it was considered that the uptake of fluoride by Al3+-exchanged zeolite proceeded by an ion-exchange mechanism (E = 11.32-12.13 kJ/mol), while fluoride-La3+-exchanged zeolite interaction proceeded by physical adsorption (E = 7.41-7.72 kJ/mol). Factors from the solution chemistry that affected fluoride removal from water were the solution pH and bicarbonate content. The latter factor buffered the system pH at higher values and thus diminished the affinity of the active sites for fluoride. Natural groundwater samples from two Kenyan tube wells were tested and results are discussed in relation to solution chemistry. In overall, Al3+-exchanged zeolite was found to be superior to La3+-exchanged zeolite in fluoride uptake within the tested concentration range.     

Adsorption kinetics of fluoride on iron(III)-zirconium(IV) hybrid oxide

Fluoride occurs in some drinking water sources at levels that are hazardous to health. Tests were conducted to assess the ability of a mineral-based adsorbent to take-up fluoride ion. Consequently, in search of novel adsorbent media, crystalline and hydrous iron(III)-zirconium(IV) hybrid oxide (IZHO) was synthesized, and tested to determine its capacity and kinetics for fluoride adsorption. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrum of IZHO indicated the presence of Fe–O–Zr linkage which showed hybrid nature of the synthetic oxide. The optimum pH range for fluoride adsorption was ranged between 4.0 and 7.0. The analyses of the isotherm equilibrium data using the Langmuir and the Redlich–Peterson model equations by linear and non-linear methods showed that the data fitted better with latter model than the former. Thermodynamic analysis showed spontaneous nature of fluoride adsorption, and that took place with the increase of entropy. The kinetic data obtained for fluoride adsorption on IZHO at pH 6.8 (±0.1) and room temperature (303±2 K) described both the pseudo-first order and the reversible first-order equations equally well (r ²= ∼0.98–0.99), and better than pseudo second order equation (r ²= ∼0.96–0.98) for higher concentrations (12.5 and 25.0 mg/dm³) of fluoride. The kinetics of fluoride adsorption on the mixed oxide took place with boundary layer diffusion. External mass transport with intra-particle diffusion phenomena governed the rate limiting process, which has been confirmed from the Boyd poor non-linear kinetic plots.     

Fluoride removal from water by chitosan derivatives and composites: A review

Fluoride is an essential element, indispensable for maintenance of dental health. Nevertheless, fluoride concentrations in drinking water above 1.5 mg L⁻¹ may be detrimental to human health. Many methods have been developed for removing excessive fluoride from drinking water, adsorption seems to be an effective, environmentally friendly and economical one. Since the sorption capacity of fluoride below 2 mg L⁻¹ on most conventional adsorbents is not satisfactory, much effort has been devoted to develop new and cost-effective fluoride adsorbents. This review reports the recent developments in the F⁻ removal in water treatment, using chitosan derivatives and composites in order to provide useful information about the different technologies. When possibly the adsorption capacity of chitosan derivatives and composites under different experimental conditions is reported to help to compare the efficacy of the fluoride removal process. A comparison with the adsorption capacity of other low cost adsorbents is also tabled.     

An Extractive‐Spectrophotometric Method for Determination of Fluoride Ions in Natural Waters Based on its Bleaching Effect on the Iron (III)‐Thiocyanate Complex

An extractive‐spectrophotometric method based on the bleaching effect of F^? ions on the iron (III)‐thiocyanate complex extracted into methyl iso‐butyl keton (MIBK) is proposed for the determination of fluoride ions in natural waters. This method is a simple and rapid method and there is no need for special and expensive reagents. The experimental conditions such as SCN^? concentration, pH and kind of solvent were optimized, and we found that 0.15 M SCN^?, pH = 5 and MIBK are the best selections. Limit of detection is 0.1 mg F^?/L with a linear dynamic range 0.5–7 mg/L which covers optimum concentration of F^? ions in drinking water (0.7–1.2 mg/L). Interference of Fe³⁺ and Al³⁺ ions was easily eliminated by the extractive procedure using a solution of oxine in chloroform. Finally, the proposed method was used in determination of fluoride content of some real water samples and the obtained results compared with those obtained from the standard method. No significant differences were observed between them.     

载铁(Ⅲ)-配位体交换棉纤维素吸附剂对饮用水中砷(Ⅴ)和氟联合去除的研究

使用新型载铁(Ⅲ)-配位体交换棉纤维素吸附剂,通过静态和动态吸附实验,研究了饮用水中砷酸钠[砷(Ⅴ)]和氟化钠(氟)联合去除的效果和浓度因素的影响以及吸附剂经过反复吸附-洗脱再生-再吸附后性能的稳定性.结果表明,该吸附剂能够高效、高选择性地联合去除高砷(Ⅴ)和高氟.吸附柱的饱和吸附容量可高达15mg/g干重,反复使用中饱和体积的相对标准偏差小于0.5%,柱处理出水的各项有关指标均符合我国生活饮用水卫生标准,特别是砷(Ⅴ)的质量浓度低于0.010mg/L,符合世界健康组织(WHO)推荐的饮用水严格砷标准.说明该吸附剂在砷氟共存的地区具有很好的应用前景.     

Potentiometric determination of ultratrace amounts of fluoride enriched by zirconia in a flow system

A satisfactory method was described for separation and preconcentration of ultratrace amounts of fluoride ions enriched by zirconia (ZrO₂) as an inorganic ion exchanger. Fluoride ions can be adsorbed rapidly and selectively on zirconia from an acidic solution (pH 4.8) then reversibly desorbed by increasing pH up to 13. A flow system consisting of a column packed with zirconia impregnated on cellulose fibers and an ion-selective electrode was used for the determination of fluoride. The RSD was found to be 1.6% and the detection limit defined by S/N = 3 was 3 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The interference effects of various ions, such as nitrate, sulfate, halides, alkaline, and alkaline earth ions, which may be found in the environmental water, were studied, and it was found that they were tolerated even at high concentrations. The method was applied to determine fluoride in drinking water, which contains ultratrace amounts of fluoride. The concentration of fluoride was found to be 42 μg L⁻¹, which is confirmed by spiking 2 μmol fluoride to the drinking water with a recovery of 99%. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, 2006, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 179–183. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Removal of fluoride from water by electrocoagulation using Mild Steel electrode

Electrocoagulation process was used for defluoridation of synthetic fluoride containing water. In the process Mild Steel (MS) was used as sacrificial electrode and experiments were performed with different varying parameters such as pH and current density (CD). The fluoride removal efficiency was found to be maximum at pH 6 and CD 75.44 A/m² (2 A). At these conditions fluoride concentration reduces from initial concentration of 50 ​mg/dm³ to 5.2 ​mg/dm³. Kinetic study of electrocoagulation process revealed that the order of the reaction was in the range 1.61–1.64 with respect to fluoride concentration. It was observed that fluoride removal efficiency of the present MS electrode is comparable to the other electrodes used in electrocoagulation process available in the literature.     

离子选择电极法测定生活饮用水中氟化物

采用离子选择电极法对生活饮用水中氟化物浓度进行了测定。讨论了水样中pH值、温度、响应时间对测定结果的影响。在最佳条件下,方法的线性范围为0．10～3．0mg／L,相关系数为0．9999,检出限为0．05mg／L,实际水样加标回收率为97％～106％,相对标准偏差（n=5）为0．04％～0．65％。方法简单快速,干扰小,重现性好,加标回收率令人满意,能进行生活饮用水中氟化物浓度的有效测定。     

Micropprocessor-controlled determination of fluoride in the presence of magnesium and calcium in sea water and blood plasma by a fluoride-selective electrode with standard additions

An automated standard additions method with an ion-selective electrode is used to determine free fluoride in plasma, urine and sea water; the amounts of pH buffer and sequestering agent are minimal. The presence of uncomplexed metal ions was allowed for in the data treatment using modified Nernst and Gran functions. After fusion with sodium hydroxide, non-volatile fluoride was determined in the plasma and urine of pediatric patients who had undergone methoxyflurane anaesthesia. Fluoride concentrations of 0.002–210 mg l^?1 were measured, generally to a precision of ±5%. The procedures reported are unusual in that complexing metal ions in the samples were not completely removed by sequestration, and that there are relatively large volume changes during the analyses of small samples. The calculation method described allows for both these features.     

Enhanced penetration of fluoride particles into bovine enamel by combining dielectrophoresis with AC electroosmosis

Fluoride deposition into the pores of enamel is necessary at high concentrations to reduce enamel demineralization and with a high degree of penetration to account for loss by ingestion. Current diffusion and electrochemical methods are inadequate for effectively transporting fluoride greater than 20 μm into enamel. The study explores the coupling of dielectrophoresis (DEP) and AC electroosmosis (ACEO) to selectively concentrate fluoride particles from fluoride gel excipients and enhance their penetration into enamel. By measuring the frequency response of approximately 10‐μm‐sized sodium fluoride particles in an aqueous gel media, appropriate frequencies for positive DEP, negative DEP, and ACEO are identified. An assembly composed of two cross‐planar interdigitated electrode (IDE) arrays with open slots is driven successively by fields at appropriate frequencies to drive fluoride particles through the slots of the IDE and into the enamel pores using a combination of DEP and ACEO methods. Fluoride uptake and penetration of 1.23% acidulated phosphate fluoride gel into bovine tooth enamel at various depths is measured using wavelength dispersive spectrometry to compare deposition by diffusion, DEP, and DEP plus ACEO. Fluoride levels in all DEP groups were significantly higher than diffusion groups at depths 10 and 20 μm. The highest fluoride concentrations at 10, 20, 50, and 100 μm depths occur under deposition conditions combining DEP with ACEO. Fluoride levels at 50 μm were equivalent to long‐term prophylactic exposure. These methods may potentially benefit populations at high risk for development of caries and periodontal disease, including underserved children and disparate groups.     

Determination of fluoride in natural waters by ion-selective electrode potentiometry after co-precipitation with aluminium phosphate

The most effective conditions for masking aluminium in the determination of mug/1. levels of fluoride in water by ion-selective electrode potentiometry after co-precipitation with aluminium phosphate have been re-examined. The effectiveness of citrate for masking aluminium increases with pH, and up to 1.5 x 10(-2)M aluminium can be masked quantitatively at pH 8.5. Fluoride (5-100 mug in 500 ml of sample solution) is quantitatively co-precipitated at pH 4.7 with approximately 90 mg of aluminium phosphate. After dissolution of the precipitate and adjustment of the solution to pH 8.5 with TISAB, the fluoride content can be measured with a fluoride ISE. The method is simple and rapid, and is suitable for the determination of trace amounts of fluoride in various water samples.     

Indirect determination of fluoride in waters with lanthanum alizarin complexone and inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometry

Fluoride is determined indirectly by measurement of the La II 333.75-nm line in the lanthanum/alizarin complexone/fluoride complex. The ternary complex is extracted into hexanol containing N,N-diethylaniline and the extract is introduced directly into the plasma. Related to water samples, the detection limit (3σ, concentration factor 5) is 0.59 ng ml^?1 fluoride, calibration is linear up to 1.2 μg ml^?1 and the relative standard deviation for 0.04 μg ml^?1 is 2.6%. Alkali, alkali elements and most anions do not interfere. The method is applied in the analysis of river water, coastal seawater and drinking water.     

Organic electrosynthesis using a fluoride ion mediator

Recent studies on fluoride ion-mediated anodic methoxylation of fluoroalkyl sulfides and sulfur-containing five-membered heterocyclic compounds together with its synthetic applications are summarized in this review. The first example of anodic methoxylation of 2-acyloxy-3,3,3-trifluoropropyl sulfides accompanying with [1,2]-rearrangement of acyloxy group is described. Fluoride ion-mediated anodic intramolecular cyclization of 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl sulfides bearing OH and t-BuCOO groups provides CF₃-containing 1,3-oxathiolane and ethylene carbonate derivatives, respectively. Fluoride ion mediator can be also applied to anodic intramolecular carbon–carbon coupling to form oxindole and 3-oxotetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives.     

Evaluation of the chronic intoxication of fluoride on human serum metabolome using untargeted metabolomics

Drinking water is the main source of fluoride intake for the human body and its regulated consumption helps in decreasing dental caries. However, excessive fluoride consumption over a prolonged time period causes fluorosis disease which adversely affects many tissues and organs of the body. This paper describes the evaluation of chronic intoxication of fluoride on human serum metabolome. The untargeted metabolomics approach using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS is applied for metabolomic profiling, whereas the estimation of fluoride in serum samples was carried out using the ion-selective electrode (ISE). Fluoride concentration was found to be 0.16–1.25 mg/L in serum samples of 39 fluorosis patients and 0.008–0.045 mg/L in 20 healthy samples. A total of 47 metabolites were identified based on the high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis. A volcano plot was generated to discriminate features that are significantly different between the fluorosis and healthy groups at the probability of 0.05 and fold change ≥ 2. Among all identified metabolites, intensities of ten differential identified metabolites including inosine, α-linolenic acid, guanosine, octanoyl-L-carnitine, His-Trp, phytosphingosine, lauroyl-L-carnitine, hydrocortisone, deoxyinosine and dodecanedioic acid have been found altered in disease samples compared to healthy controls. Major pathways identified based on these metabolites include energy metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, purine degradation pathway, elevated protein degradation, and increased ω-6 fatty acid linoleate signatures were observed.     

The Analysis of Fluoride in Geothermal-Geopressured Brines

Abstract

Fluoride ion was determined by means of a fluoride ion selective electrode on geothermal-geopressured brines obtained from the DOW-DOE L. R. Sweezy ^#1 Well. The values decrease from 7.8ppm to a plateau value of 1.6–1.8 ppm.     

Bioavailability of fluoride administered as sodium fluoride or monofluorophosphate to humans

A double-bind cross-over study was conducted on four healthy subjects, aged 19-29 years, in order to determine the relative bioavailability and other pharmacokinetics features of fluoride (F) after single oral administration in fasting conditions of 2 mg F as sodium F (NaF) or sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP). The bioavailability was evaluated on the basis of the plasma levels and of the urinary excretion of F. Blood was sampled before and during the 8 h after the administration of the test solutions. For F excretion urine was sampled 12 h before the study and over the 8 h after the administration. Data were tested for statistically significant differences by ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests, and also by Student's t-test (p < 0.05). For the two formulations, the pharmacokinetics of F in plasma was characterized by a rapid absorption and by a peak (C_max = 0.1 μg/mL) which was reached 20 min after administration, followed by a biphasic elimination. In the 8 h following the administration the urinary excretion of F accounted for 35-41% of the administered dose, without significant differences between the two formulations. The AUCs (±S.D.) for NaF and MFP were 21.15 (±0.58) and 19.04 (±1.75) min μg mL⁻¹, respectively, and were not significantly different (p = 0.079). Based on the AUC and C_max of F in plasma and on the urinary excretion of F during the 8 h following administration, the relative bioavailabilities of the two F formulations were equivalent.