Fluorine in Toxicology, Medicine, and Environment Protection

Report on the 9th Polish Fluorine Symposium 1

FLUORINE IN TOXICOLOGY, MEDICINE,AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

Report on the 9th Polish Fluorine Symposium
June 2, 1999, Szczecin (Miedzyzdroje), Poland

A Machoy-Mokrzyńska
Szczecin, Poland

Continuing a series of symposia on the metabolism of fluorine begun in 1979, the 9th Polish Fluorine Symposium was held on June 2, 1999, in Miedzyzdroje near Szczecin in Western Pomerania, in conjunction with the VIIth Congress of the Polish Toxicological Society. Two plenary lectures and 31 poster and platform presentations were given on the results of studies of fluorine compounds in various areas of toxicology, medicine, and environment protection.

As in previous years, the proceedings of the symposium have been published in book form by the Pomeranian Medical Academy under the above title (163 pages plus author index). All papers, except two in English and one in German, are in Polish with English titles and summaries. In his introductory address, Professor C. James Lovelace of Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, USA, and a member of the ISFR Editorial Board, complimented the participants for the excellence and “depth of sophistication” of the fluoride research reports they were offering to the scientific community.

The first speaker was Professor Bolesław Gonet from the Department of Medical Physics of the Pomeranian Medical Academy in Szczecin, who described 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and their application to biomedical problems such as the structure, metabolism, and reaction kinetics of fluorine-containing drugs, anesthetics, and pesticides.

The second speaker was Professor Jerzy Straszko from the Polytechnical University of Szczecin, who reviewed the assessment of complex air quality problems from nonbiodegradable pollutants. Extensive measurements of air-borne fluoride in Western Pomerania were conducted in 1993-1997. These included examinations of wild animals in the region and determinations of the fluoride content of their mandibles.

The poster-platform sessions covered a wide range of environmental, biomedical, and toxicological investigations, with discussions after each presentation. Without listing authors, the following is a brief synopsis of most of these reports in the order published in the proceedings.

Environmental Fluoride (pp. 28-49):

Analyses of postmortem bone samples from roe deer living near a coal-fired power plant show that emission controls can achieve a threefold reduction in fluoride releases. In snail shells the fluoride content is a useful indicator of fluoride pollution from certain industries. Fluoride levels in pine needles vary inversely with tree distance from polluting sources. Post-shift urinary fluoride concentrations in workers exposed to fluoride are twice those of non-exposed controls. Among healthy pregnant women, urinary excretion of fluoride is significantly higher in the third trimester than during the first six months of pregnancy.

Medical and Dental Studies (pp. 50-82):

In a lengthy series of investigations, rapid responses measured by increased bone mineral density were found in 15-20% of patients 13 months after NaF therapy for osteoporosis. Dental caries rates in 12-year-old children were 15% greater in a fluoridated area of Wroclaw than in a low-fluoride area. No increase in salivary fluoride was observed one day after application of fluoride varnishes to teeth. Dental enamel fluoride in children in industrialized Szczecin is significantly higher than in non-industrial Białystok. Differences in enamel mineralization in sound and pathologically-abrased adult human molars are reflected in altered susceptibility to acid etching and changes in Mg, Ca, and F content. Deboned poultry meat is a significant source of bioavailable fluoride with 0.6 to 0.8 ppm F in poultry sausage compared to only 0.1 ppm F in poultry muscle tissue.

Mammalian Biochemistry (pp. 83-121):

At concentrations as low as 10 ppm, NaF disrupts the clonogenicity of human marrow hematopoietic cells derived from heparinized cadaveric donors. The production of superoxide anion is strongly influenced by fluoride with striking differences in the responses of human and rabbit neutrophiles. In vitro mitochondrial respiration is significantly inhibited by KF suggesting sensitive succinate dehydrogenase involvement. A related study, showed that fluoride has a greater effect than phosphate ions on SDH activity. Blood serum levels of urea and glutamate dehydrogenase activity were elevated in male rats with fluoride in their drinking water. Similar results were observed in female rats, with additional data on increased serum levels of bilirubin and creatinine and lowered aminotransferase activities.

Mineral Metabolism (pp. 122-139):

Rats fed ammonium fluoride exhibited substantial decreases in selenium levels in their whiskers. Copper levels were lower in the liver but higher in other tissues of rats with NaF in their drinking water. Ca and Mg levels increased in cortical bone of rats after 6 weeks on 30 and 60 ppm F in their water. In related work, a fluoride dose-dependent increase in bone mineral mass was observed in rats which was accompanied by a small decrease in body weight.

Effects on Plants (pp. 140-153):

Levels of chloroplast pigments (chlorophyll a and b, but not carotenoids) are altered by NaF in peas, beans, and maize seedlings grown in water culture. The highest levels of chloroplasts occurred in maize at 2 ppm F in the water. Adsorption of fluoride anions on kraft lignin appears to be related to a micellar cation-dependent adsorptive layer similar to that found previously with post-vanillin lignin.