Fluorine excretion in children at various levels of exposure to emissions from aluminum production

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To assess the risk of development of disorders caused by excess or lack of fluorine, information regarding the levels of exposure and excretion of fluorine by various routes of intake is important. AIM: To determine the features of fluoride ion excretion in children exposed to different levels of fluorine compounds contained in emissions from aluminum production. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observation groups were formed from 245 and 148 people exposed to high and low levels of fluorine compounds, respectively. For comparison, a control group of 155 children living in cities who had no industrial sources of fluorine emission in their territory was created. Daily urine samples, which reflect the level of excretion, were used as a biomaterial. Analysis of fluoride ion content was conducted using the potentiometric method with a fluorine selective electrode. Means were compared using Student's t-test, whereas medians were compared using the MannWhitney U test with Bonferroni correction. Correlation with age was assessed using the Spearman coefficient. RESULTS: No significant differences in the average urinary excretion of fluorine and proportion of children whose excretion exceeds the reference regional levels were observed among children living in the industrial centers of the Irkutsk region. A comparative assessment of fluorine excretion among children with the highest toxicant content showed that those in the high-exposure subgroup had a 1.4 times higher average fluorine content compared to the control group (p 0.001). The maximum values of fluoride ion excretion in children living in the areas affected by emissions from large aluminum production enterprises are 2.4 times higher than the maximum in the unexposed group. CONCLUSION: Fluoride ion excretion via urine in children living within industrial centers was directly associated with the level of inhalation exposure but inversely associated with age.