The Effect of Fluorine on Blood and Respiration

Much interest has been manifested in fluorine during the past few years. This is due to two reasons: first, fluorine is found in several phosphatic mineral supplements, which are fed to farm animals ; and, second, fluorine has been found in drinking waters in this and many other countries of the world. The interest of the authors in fluorine dates from the discovery by Ostrem, Nelson, Greenwood, and Wilhelm of fluorine in the drinking waters of communities in the State of Iowa, with the resulting production of mottled enamel of the teeth. There can be no question that fluorine in excessive amounts in water causes damage to the teeth. Smith, Lantz, and Smith have produced considerable evidence that the presence of excessive fluorine in the drinking water will cause mottled enamel in man. The question naturally arises as to whether fluorine in water produces other harmful effects or pathological changes in the body, aside from the disturbance to the teeth