Abstract
The content of fluoride was determined with an ion-specific electrode on 59 samples of honey from 47 localities in Finland. The concentrations ranged from 25 to 550/µg/kg and the mean for all the localities was 85.7 µg F-/kg fresh weight honey. The concentrations were lowest in eastern and northern Finland, where the amount of fluoride in the soil is small, and higher on the coast and areas where more fluoride occurs in the groundwater and bedrock. However, the highest levels of fluoride in honey were detected in the vicinity of Helsinki and some other places where the amount in the groundwater is not especially high. The higher levels in some honey may be due to fluorides introduced into the environment by the activity of man. The effects of fluoride on human health are discussed.
Highlights
Fluorine is an element which occurs in compounds everywhere in the lithosphere, but only small amounts are generally found in the biosphere
Fluorine is an important constituent of teeth and bones, and has been considered essential to animal life (Who 1984)
At higher concentrations, compounds of fluorine are harmful to living organisms and can occur as environmental pollutants (Lillie 1970, Weinstein 1977, Who 1984)
Summary
Fluorine is an element which occurs in compounds everywhere in the lithosphere, but only small amounts are generally found in the biosphere. At higher concentrations, compounds of fluorine are harmful to living organisms and can occur as environmental pollutants (Lillie 1970, Weinstein 1977, Who 1984). The total daily fluoride intake of adult man ranges from about 0.5 to 5.0 mg, mainly depending on its amount in drinking water (Who 1984). In Finland the daily intake of fluoride in food, excluding drinking water, was estimated to be 0.56 mg (Koivistoinen 1980). As regards the caries-inhibiting effect, the optimal concentration of fluoride in drinking water in a temperate climate is approximately 1 mg/litre, and in many areas water is artificially fluoridated to attain the optimal level (Who 1984, Murray 1986). In Finland the fluoride content in groundwater varies between 0.01 and 6.0 mg, and the average is 0.1 mg/litre (Vuorinen et ai. 1986)
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