Nutritional aspects of fluoride toxicosis

Abstract

Animals normally ingest small amounts of fluoride in their diets with no harmful effects. Excessive fluoride ingestion can cause dental and skeletal lesions and, in severe cases, adversely influence the productive performance of domestic animals. Tolerances for various species of animals have been set, and these are influenced by a number of factors. The chemical form of fluoride in the diet has a large influence on toxicity, and alternating periods of high and low exposure to fluoride appear to be more damaging to animals than the continuous intake of the same total amount. General undernutrition also enhances the toxic effects of fluoride. Regulatory agencies are faced with the difficult task of establishing standards which protect livestock producers but which are not so restrictive as to unnecessarily increase the cost of the feedstuffs the producers must purchase.