Concentração de flúor em águas engarrafadas comercializadas no município de São Paulo

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the fl uoride concentration in bottled water available on the market, in comparison with the values printed on the bottle label. Two hundred and twenty-nine water samples were collected from 35 brands available in several supermarkets, grocery stores and snack bars with high turnover in different regions of the municipality of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2006. Fluoride concentrations were determined by duplicate analysis using an ion-specifi c electrode. The fl uoride concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 2.04 mg/l, with signifi cant differences between the values stipulated on labels and those found in the analyses. These results emphasize the importance of controls over fl uoride levels in bottled water enforced by the sanitary surveillance agency.

Analysis of fluoride concentration in commercial bottled waters

“…Additionally, some of the brands did not list the amount of fluoride on the label, and four of them had fluoride levels above that specified and thus could potentially cause dental fluorosis if consumed regularly by children while the teeth are being formed. The results of the present study corroborate those found by Grec et al 15 in a study conducted in São Paulo (SP), in which the fluoride concentration varied significantly, with values above and/or below the set limits and different from those listed on the labels.…”

“…Thus, it has become a public health concern in terms of the low fluoride content in most of the waters investigated. The fluoride concentration values found varied significantly within the range 0.07-0.63 ppm F -or mg F/L, which is similar to the findings of Brandão & Valsecki 1 , Ramires et al 14 and Grec et al 15 .…”

“…With regard to the quantitative values printed on the labels of the participant brands, unlike the findings of Brandão & Valsecki 1 and Grec et al 15 , all products evaluated listed the amount of fluoride on the label although the majority (55.55%) had levels below the level specified, as shown in Table 3.…”

“…The increased consumption of bottled mineral water, mainly in the tropical area of the country, either as an alternative or as a supplement to the public water supply, can affect the safety and effectiveness of fluoridation thus posing risk to human health 1,[11][12][13][14][15] . Bottled mineral water is one of the sources of ingested fluoride and is considered a health promotion strategy, especially in terms of formation of dental tissues.…”

Concentração de flúor em águas envasadas: análise laboratorial e da legislação relacionada

“…A maior concentração encontrada (0,36 mgF/l) foi em uma água adicionada de sais, que não trazia essa informação no rótulo. Foram observadas variações percentuais, para mais e para menos, entre os teores informados nos rótulos e aqueles obtidos durante as análises, assim como encontrado em outros trabalhos [11][12][13]24,25 . Algumas dessas diferenças podem ser atribuídas a flutuações naturais do teor de flúor na fonte de captação principalmente se for levado em consideração o caráter transversal do estudo.…”