Abstract
IN assessing margins of safety and possible toxic hazards from fluorides, it is necessary to consider the body's total intake of fluoride from all sources. This consideration is important when determining the optimum level of fluoride for dental protection before embarking on a scheme for the fluoridation of a water supply, and it is necessary also when considering possible hazards from fluorides to the community in the vicinity of industries emitting them. The total intake will be derived in part from the diet, in part from drinking water, and in part from the atmosphere. McClure (1) made a comprehensive analysis of the fluoride content of individual foods and estimated the adult intake from the diet, excluding that derived from drinking water, was 0.2-0.3 mg. per day. Cholak (2), as a result of the analyses of actual dietaries, calculated an intake of 0.34-0.80 mg. F per day exclusive of the fluoride in drinking water. This intake was in Cincinnati, Ohio, which had a fluoride level of 0.1 p.p.m. in the water supply. Tea is rich in fluorides, and in countries where it is the staple beverage the total fluoride intake is higher. Thus Longwell (3) estimated the average fluoride intake of the diet of men in Great Britain as 1.8 mg. exclusive of that in drinking water. Other foods high in fluoride may contribute significantly to the total intake of the population of some countries. In India, Sita and Venkateswarlu (4) found samples of common salt containing 10-20 p.p.m. F while rock salt, still used in some parts of India, contained 170 p.p.m. F, or 40 p.p.m. F after recrystallization. Venkateswarlu (5) later found that the sea salt, also used extensively in India, contained 14-20 p.p.m. Seafoods are rich in fluorides though some may be present in a form less easily absorbed by the body. In addition, variations in average temperature affect the total fluoride intake, and the existence of severe malnutrition in a population will reduce the margin of safety.
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