Industrial Fluoride Emissions are Dangerous to Animal Health, but Most Ranchers are Unaware of it

Abstract

No doubt, industrialization is relatively more important and necessary for the sustainable development and economy for any country or geographical region. That is why many types of factories or industrial activities work day and night for different types of production. But there are many of these factories which continuously emit fluoride in the gaseous and particulate/dust forms into their surrounding environments and contaminate diverse natural resources such as soil, air, reservoirs, herbage, vegetation, ecosystem etc. In the world or in different countries, the major and most common sources of industrial fluoride emissions are coal-fired power plants and industrial activities, such as the production of steel, iron, aluminium, zinc, phosphorus, chemical fertilizers, oil refineries, bricks, glasses, plastic, cement, and hydrofluoric acid. When domestic animals viz. cattle (Bos taurus), water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus), horses (Equus caballus), donkeys (Equus asinus), and dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) exposed to industrial fluoride emissions or pollution over a long period of time, it becomes highly toxic and poses a threat to animal health. In the world, thousands of domestic animals have been found to be suffering from a dangerous disease called industrial fluorosis due to chronic exposure of industrial fluoride. In fact, this fluoride affects the teeth and bones and soft organs as well. Due to its chronic toxicosis, teeth become weak and mottled (dental fluorosis) and animals develop lameness (skeletal fluorosis) when fluoride toxicosis becomes more severe. However, immature and bovine animals are found to be more prone to fluorosis. Apart from the health of animals, industrial fluorosis in domestic animals also affects the economy of the livestock farmers. But most ranchers or livestock farmers are unaware of it. In present editorial, the most common sources of industrial fluoride emissions, chronic industrial fluoride toxicosis or industrial fluorosis in domestic animals, and the possible ways for how to prevent animals from this disease have been highlighted. Through this article, it is also to attract the attention of the responsible people so that this health problem caused by industrial fluoride pollution can be prevented in economically important animals.

Keywords: Dental Fluorosis; Domestic Animals; Fluoride; Food-Borne Fluorosis; Hydrofluorosis; Industrial Fluoride Emissions; Industrial Fluorosis; Non-Skeletal Fluorosis; Skeletal Fluorosis

Introduction

It is well known, an excessive ingestion and/or inhalation of fluoride through water, food, and air causes the dreaded fluorosis disease not only in human beings [1-9] but also in diverse species of domestic animals [10-18]. This slow progressing disease is more prevalent or common in those areas where fluoride is endemic. In more than 25 countries this disease is endemic with varying prevalence and severity [1]. When fluorosis develops after drinking water containing fluoride, it is called “hydrofluorosis” which is natural and more prevalent and wide spread in nature as well [19-22]. Generally, this form of fluorosis develops when the fluoride in drinking water exceeds the threshold level or maximum permissible level of 1.5 ppm [1]. In contrast, “industrial fluorosis” is anthropogenic, relatively less prevalent, restricted to a particular location or herd, and caused by the long- term exposure to fluoride being emitted from various industrial operations [23-26]. In the world or in diverse countries coal-burning power stations and the manufacture or production of steel, iron, aluminium, zinc, phosphorus, chemical fertilizers, bricks, glass, plastic, cement, oil refineries, and hydrofluoric acid are the most common and major sources for releasing of fluoride into their surrounding environments, in both gaseous and particulate/dust forms [1]. Ultimately, this emitted industrial fluoride contaminates diverse natural resources such as soil, air, reservoirs, agriculture crops, herbage/vegetation, food chains, and ecosystem. The inhalation of fluoride polluted air and ingestion of fluoride contaminated herbage, vegetation, and agriculture forage for a prolonged period develops fluorosis disease in all kind of domestic animals [1]. However, in these animals, fluorosis can develop through water, air, and food, as all three media are commonly contaminated with industrial fluoride.

Almost all kinds of fluoride emitting factories are usually located far away from the human populated area or cities, villages and towns, around which there are enough pastures for grazing animals. In these pastures, there are green or dry herbage, small and big shrubs and plants of many species, which are sources of food for domesticated animals. But all these contaminated by fluorinated gases released from different factories. Animals grazing in these pastures are exposed not only to fluoride-contaminated foods such as green and dry fodder, fodder crops, leaves, legumes, and fruits of trees and shrubs, etc. but also to fluoridated air and water. If fluorosis in animals develops due to consumption of food only then it is generally termed as “food-borne fluorosis”. Fluorosis may be due to any reason, whether it is in humans or animals, but its symptoms are almost the same. Only its intensity and prevalence remain different.

Industrial fluorosis was recognized for the first time in 1932 by Møller and Gudjonsson in Danish cryolite workers [27]. Upon subsequent thorough investigation, several cases of fluorosis have been identified by Rohm as having been caused by inhalation of F dust [28]. Industrial fluorosis has been reported in both human beings [29-33] and diverse species of domestic animals [34-42] from several countries including Germany, USA, Great Britain, Soviet Union, Norway, France, Switzerland, China, and India. Despite having a number of different types of industrial activities in the world, only limited reports on industrial fluorosis in animals [34-42] are available, while it helps in making animal health related projects.

Industrial Fluoride and its Chronic Toxicosis in Animals

When domestic animals, viz. cattle (Bos taurus), water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus), horses (Equus caballus), donkeys (Equus asinus) and dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) are exposed to industrial fluoride over a long period of time, it becomes toxic to the health of the animals and causes a mild to severe industrial fluorosis. Due to chronic industrial fluoride toxicosis, teeth of animals become weak and mottled or discoloured characterised with light- to deep-brownish staining and excessive abrasion of teeth (as in Figures 1-4). This staining on the enamel of the teeth usually appears in bilateral, striated, and horizontal compact streaks and can be seen by necked eyes. These flouride-induced toxic changes in teeth are, generally, collectively known as dental fluorosis. In its severe state, the teeth become weak and break or fall out sooner in early age of animals. Dental fluorosis is an early diagnostic or clinical sign for evidence of chronic fluoride toxicosis in both humans and animals [43,44]. Hence, dental fluorosis is also ideal biomarkers of chronic fluoride poisoning [45,46].

    

    

    Figure 1-4: Moderate and severe form of dental fluorosis in bovine calve (Figure 1) and adult (Figure 2) and adult sheep (Figure 3) and old goat (Figure 4) animals.
    

    

    

    Figure 5-8: Skeletal fluorosis in bovines revealed lameness, enlarged joints, debility, invalidism, wasting of body muscles and bony lesions in ribs, metacarpus and metatarsus regions.
    

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Citation: Choubisa SL, Industrial Fluoride Emissions are Dangerous to Animal Health, but most ranchers are unaware of it. Austin Environ Sci. 2023; 8(1): 1089.

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