TCO

Fluorosis

I am living in an area where chronic industrial fluorosis is well-known in animals. The source is air-rejected fluorine from industrial plants proceeding natural phosphates to make fertilizers, phosphoric acid, etc.

The first lesions are in the teeth of bovine growing in the area (up to 5-years-old).

We also see periostosis in the lower parts of leggs of old cows and mules.

• 
  4-years-old cow: 2 middle incisives are "fluorided", so the cow was in an fluorosis area when 22 to 36 months
• 
  industrial or natural fluorosis ? all teeth arased in a very young age
• 
  periostosis (industrial fluorosis)

The phosphate industry is very politically-sensitive in Morocco; so it is difficult to have figures on real damages of industrial fluorosis. Peasants of the region are not aided for the damages.

There is also natural fluorosis (called "daghmous" in Moroccan arabic) in the areas where natural phosphates of the soil come in the drinking water (Khouribga, Youssoufia, Oued Zem, El Borouj, Ben Guerir). The inhabitants where recently (last 20 years) provided with fluorine-free water (by ground canalisation).

--Lucyin 14 di djulete 2011 a 09:46 (UTC)

Thanks.

That is fascinating about the phosphate industry. We discuss fluorapatite a little bit under minerals. It's basically mined for phosphates and the fluorine not recovered (I think some is in the US only) since it is cheaper to just use CaF2 for fluorine source.

I've seen your pics on Commons. Just was wondering if you had any more compelling images or of a person. Of what is up there now, I guess the feet are better. I'm hesitant to show a teeth image since I don't want to open things for a bunch of municipal water-fluoridation debates. A human (India? China?) pic might be more compelling as well.

If you somehow knew an academic with an HF burn picture, or how to find such, that would be most compelling to me. I could write and ask for a donation (there are no free images).

TCO 14 di djulete 2011 a 10:04 (UTC)