PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT FLUORIDES CAS#: Hydrogen Fluoride 7664-39-3 Fluorine 7782-41-4 Sodium Fluoride 7681-49-4
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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT FLUORIDES CAS#: Hydrogen Fluoride 7664-39-3 Fluorine 7782-41-4 Sodium Fluoride 7681-49-4 Division of Toxicology September 2003 This Public Health Statement is the summary exposure to these substances may harm you and chapter from the Toxicological Profile for because these sites may be sources of exposure. Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorine. It is one in a series of Public Health Statements about When a substance is released from a large area, hazardous substances and their health effects. A such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM is also available. as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. This This information is important because this release does not always lead to exposure. You are substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to exposed to a substance only when you come in any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing, duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and eating, or drinking the substance, or by skin contact. habits, and whether other chemicals are present. For more information, call the ATSDR Information If you are exposed to fluorides, hydrogen fluoride, Center at 1-888-422-8737. and fluorine, many factors determine whether you'll _____________________________________ be harmed. These factors include the dose (how much), the duration (how long), and how you come This public health statement tells you about in contact with it/them. You must also consider the fluorides, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorine and the other chemicals you're exposed to and your age, effects of exposure presented in the toxicological sex, diet, family traits, lifestyle, and state of health. profile. These profiles were specifically prepared by ATSDR for hazardous substances which are most commonly found at facilities on the CERCLA 1.1 WHAT ARE FLUORINE, HYDROGEN National Priorities List (Superfund sites) and are FLUORIDE, AND FLUORIDES? intended to describe the effects of exposure from chemicals at these sites. Fluorides are properly defined as binary compounds or salts of fluorine and another element. Examples The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of fluorides include sodium fluoride and calcium identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in fluoride. Both are white solids. Sodium fluoride the nation. These sites make up the National readily dissolves in water, but calcium fluoride does Priorities List (NPL) and are the sites targeted for not. Sodium fluoride is often added to drinking long-term federal cleanup activities. Fluorides, water supplies and to a variety of dental products, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorine have been found in including toothpastes and mouth rinses to prevent at least 188 of the 1,636 current or former NPL dental cavities. Other fluoride compounds that are sites. However, the total number of NPL sites commonly used for water fluoridation are evaluated for these substances is not known. As fluorosilicic acid and sodium fluorosilicate. more sites are evaluated, the sites at which Calcium fluoride is the compound in the common fluorides, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorine is found minerals fluorite and fluorspar. Fluorspar is the may increase. This information is important because mineral from which hydrogen fluoride is produced. It is also used in the production of glass and enamel __________________________________________________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: [email protected] PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT FLUORIDES CAS#: Hydrogen Fluoride 7664-39-3 Fluorine 7782-41-4 Sodium Fluoride 7681-49-4 Division of Toxicology September 2003 and in the steel industry. In this profile, we will 1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO FLUORINE, often use the term "fluoride" to include substances HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, AND that contain the element fluorine. The reason for FLUORIDES WHEN THEY ENTER THE this is that we generally measure the amount of ENVIRONMENT? fluorine in a substance rather than the amount of a particular fluorine compound. Fluorides occur naturally in the earth's crust where they are found in rocks, coal, clay, and soil. They Fluorine is a naturally occurring, widely distributed are released into the air in wind-blown soil. element and a member of the halogen family, which Hydrogen fluoride is released to the air from includes chlorine, bromine, and iodine. However, fluoride-containing substances, including coal, the elemental form of fluorine, a pale yellow-green, minerals, and clays, when they are heated to high irritating gas with a sharp odor, is so chemically temperatures. This may occur in coal-fired power reactive that it rarely occurs naturally in the plants; aluminum smelters; phosphate fertilizer elemental state. Fluorine occurs in ionic forms, or plants; glass, brick, and tile works; and plastics combined with other chemicals in minerals like factories. These facilities may also release fluorides fluorspar, fluorapatite, and cryolite, and other attached to particles. The biggest natural source of compounds. (Ions are atoms, collections of atoms, hydrogen fluoride and other fluorides released to or molecules containing a positive or negative the air is volcanic eruptions. electric charge.) Fluorine gas reacts with most organic and inorganic substances; with metals, it Fluorine cannot be destroyed in the environment; it forms fluorides and with water, it forms can only change its form. Fluorides released into the hydrofluoric acid. Fluorine gas is primarily used to atmosphere from volcanoes, power plants, and other make certain chemical compounds, the most high temperature processes are usually hydrogen important of which is uranium hexafluoride, used in fluoride gas or attached to very small particles. separating isotopes of uranium for use in nuclear Fluorides contained in wind-blown soil are reactors and nuclear weapons. generally found in larger particles. These particles settle to the ground or are washed out of the air by Hydrogen fluoride is a colorless, corrosive gas or rain. Fluorides that are attached to very small liquid (it boils at 19.5 °C) that is made up of a particles may stay in the air for many days. hydrogen atom and a fluorine atom. It fumes Hydrogen fluoride gas will be absorbed by rain and strongly, readily dissolves in water, and both the into clouds and fog to form aqueous hydrofluoric liquid and vapor will cause severe burns upon acid, which will fall to the ground mainly in contact. The dissolved form is called hydrofluoric precipitation. The fluorides released into air will acid. It is known for its ability to etch glass. eventually fall on land or water. Commercially, hydrogen fluoride is the most important fluorine compound. Its largest use is in In water, fluorides associate with various elements the manufacture of fluorocarbons, which are used as present in the water, mainly with aluminum in refrigerants, solvents, and aerosols. freshwater and calcium and magnesium in seawater, __________________________________________________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: [email protected] PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT FLUORIDES CAS#: Hydrogen Fluoride 7664-39-3 Fluorine 7782-41-4 Sodium Fluoride 7681-49-4 Division of Toxicology September 2003 and settle into the sediment where they are strongly or embedded in minerals that they are not taken up attached to sediment particles. When deposited on by plants or animals. land, fluorides are strongly retained by soil, forming strong associations with soil components. Leaching Fluorides are normally found in very small amounts removes only a small amount of fluorides from in the air. Levels measured in areas around cities are soils. Fluorides may be taken up from soil and usually less than 1 microgram (one millionth of a accumulate in plants, or they may be deposited on gram) of fluoride per cubic meter (µg/m³) of air. the upper parts of the plants in dust. The amount of Rural areas have even lower levels. The amount of fluoride taken up by plants depends on the type of fluoride that you breathe in a day is much less than plant, the nature of the soil, and the amount and what you consume in food and water. You may form of fluoride in the soil. Tea plants are known to breathe in higher levels of fluoride in areas near accumulate fluoride in their leaves. Animals that eat coal-fired power plants or fluoride-related industries fluoride-containing plants may accumulate fluoride. (e.g., aluminum smelters, phosphorus fertilizer However, the fluoride accumulates primarily in the plants) or near hazardous waste sites. bones or shell rather than in edible meat. Levels of fluorides in surface water average about 1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 0.2 parts of fluoride per million parts of water FLUORINE, HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, (ppm). Levels of fluorides in well water generally AND FLUORIDES? range from 0.02 to 1.5 ppm, but often exceed 1.5 ppm in parts of the southwest United States. Many Fluoride is a natural component of the earth's crust communities fluoridate their water supplies; the and soil. Small amounts of fluorides are present in recommended level of fluoride is around 1 ppm. In water, air, plants, and animals. You may be exposed the United States, approximately 15,000 water to small amounts of fluoride by breathing air, systems serving about 162 million people are drinking water, and eating food. In particular, fluoridated in the optimal range of 0.7-1.2 ppm, fluorides are frequently added to drinking water either occurring naturally or through adjustment. supplies at approximately 1 part of fluoride per Persons living in non-fluoridated areas may receive million parts of water (ppm) and to toothpaste and water exposure through beverages and foods mouth rinses to prevent dental decay.