Fluoride accumulation and toxicity in laboratory populations of wild small mammals and white mice

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was conducted to compare the toxicological response and metabolism of inorganic fluoride by three species of wild mammals and laboratory white mice (Mus musculus L.). The experimental populations of the wild species--the short-tailed field vole (Microtus agrestis L.), the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus L.) and the the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus L.)--were laboratory reared from wild stock, and all test animals were exposed to 0, 40 or 80 microgram F per ml in their drinking water for up to 84 days. The 40 and 80 microgram F per ml treatments induced premature mortalities in M. agrestis and C. glareolus only. Differential intakes, absorption and retention of fluoride were evident between M. musculus and M. agrestis, the two species subject to cage studies of fluoride metabolism budgets. Interspecific variation in accumulation of fluoride with time was also evident between all four species as regards the femur, molars and incisors. Severe dental lesions were apparent in species surviving the 80 microgram ml(-1) treatment for 84 days. Overall, however, there were few clear differences in inherent species sensitivity to fluoride, the interspecific variation in metabolism and accumulation rates being attributable mainly to variation in intake.

Soil and vegetation fluoride exposure pathways to cotton rats on a petrochemical‐contaminated landfarm

“…Scoring of incisors was performed to document gross morphologic lesions commonly referred to as fluorosis using a system previously described for mammals as summarized in Table 1 [6, 7, 16]. All cotton rats were assigned a random number to prevent bias and were scored by two different analysts for confirmation.…”

Sodium fluoride does not alter sperm production or sperm morphology in rats

“…The degree of rat teeth fluorosis was evaluated in the incisors and assessed using the 0-5 scoring method of Boulton et al (1995) as described by Ekambaram and Paul (2003). Scoring was realized as follows: (0) normal shaped teeth and smooth, glossy orange-yellow enamel color; (1) slight whitening of the enamel; (2) faint horizontal banding of the enamel; chalky spots, slight erosion; (3) chalky enamel, moderate erosion of tips, staining; (4) pitting and chipped off edges, loss of enamel color and heavy staining; (5) cutting tips splayed and eroded to blunt stubby abnormal curvature.…”

Memory Impairment Induced by Sodium Fluoride is Associated with Changes in Brain Monoamine Levels

“…The degree of rat teeth fluorosis was evaluated in the incisors and assessed through the scoring method of Boulton et al (1995), as described by Ekambaram and Paul (2003): (1) normal shaped teeth and smooth, glossy orangeyellow enamel colour; (2) slight whitening of the enamel;…”