Talk:Skeletal fluorosis

What is it exactly?
It is quite hard to deduce from the text (particularly at the beginning) what Skeletal fluorosis actually is. It just describes what the possible causes are, and statistics of it in several countries, but gives no mention on how it affects the body. --125.60.241.168 16:03, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

I concur. I came here to find out what it was. I still don't know. I may add a needs expert tag if I can figure out how. --24.6.198.12 (talk) 14:34, 12 December 2007 (UTC)

Fluorosis is caused by building flouride anions into bone's mineral hydroxylapatite instead of OH- group. It means that hydroxyl anions are replaced by fluoride. I'm sorry I can't explain it more scientific because of my language skills. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.99.163.91 (talk) 14:57, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

The Fluorosis Connection to Spinal Stenosis
Fluorosis, or an excess of fluoride in the body can calcify spinal ligaments, which will compress and shorten the spine - http://www.myspinedoctors.com/conditions.aspx?srv=spinal_stenosis

There are a few conditions that cause spinal stenosis that are neither congenital nor the result of aging. Tumors--- can invade any of the spinal spaces and compress nerves. Paget’s Disease--- is a bone disorder that causes the vertebrae to thicken, obstructing the openings. Fluorosis--- or excessive exposure to fluoride, causes calcification of the ligaments around the spinal openings. The posterior longitudinal ligament, which runs down the back behind the spinal cord, may turn to bone and put pressure on nerves. - http://www.stenosisadvisor.com/spinal-stenosis-causes

Spinal Stenosis. Sciatica can also be caused by pressure on the nerve due to a narrowing of the spinal canal. There are several possible conditions that lead to spinal stenosis: Fluorosis--- Fluorosis is an excessive level of fluoride in the body. It may result from chronicinhalation of industrial dusts or gases contaminated with fluorides, prolonged ingestion of water containing large amounts of fluorides, or accidental ingestion of fluoride-containing insecticides. The condition may lead to calcified spinal ligaments or softened bones and to degenerative conditions like spinal stenosis. - http://www.stenosisadvisor.com/what-is-sciatica-and-what-causes-it

Concerns about fluoride use Nov 11, 2007 Symptoms of chronic end-stage poisoning may include sleep disturbance, mitral valve prolapse, cognitive difficulties, muscle pain/stiffness and spinal stenosis. Non-water sources include food contaminated with herbicides, pesticides, phosphate fertilizers, vehicle emissions, industrial wastes and Scotchgard. (La Crosse Tribune, WI) - http://health.surfwax.com/files/Spinal_Stenosis.html

Causes A lot of things can cause spinal stenosis. Some of them are: Congenital spinal stenosis--- you are born with it Scoliosis--- or other progressive inherited conditions that narrow the spinal openings Injury--- that results in a slipped disc, vertebral fractures or other trauma to the vertebral column Medical conditions--- such as Paget's disease [and Fluorosis], where abnormal bone metabolism causes deformity of the vertebrae. Toxins--- particularly excessive exposure to fluoride in insecticides, which causes abnormal bone growth. Degenerative diseases--- such as arthritis, that are part of the aging process - http://www.back-ache.org/a173687-what-is-spinal-stenosis.cfm

Fluorosis - An excessive level of fluoride in the body. It may result from chronic inhalation of industrial dusts or gases contaminated with fluorides, prolonged ingestion of water containing large amounts of fluorides, or accidental ingestion of fluoride-containing insecticides. The condition may lead to calcified spinal ligaments or softened bones and to degenerative conditions like spinal stenosis. - http://www.drjarmain.com/SpineConditions.asp?typ=spinalstenosis

Bone sampling can be done in special cases to measure long-term exposure to fluorides. - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts11.html

There is no way, short of taking a bone sample, to unequivocally determine one's cumulative exposure to fluoride. It isn't possible to remove fluoride from the body as can be done for lead and other heavy metals. But "if you stop exposure, it will very gradually come out of the bone," committee member Thomas Webster of Boston University said. - http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/epa/nrc/wsj.html

- http://balancingcenter.com/articles/fluoride.html

It is reasonable that 99% of the fluoride in humans resides in bone and the whole body half-life, once in bone, is approximately 20 years (see Chapter 3 for more discussion of pharmacokinetic models) -http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11571&page=133 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.163.106.71 (talk) 17:28, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

Background on fluorine is not that applicable
The general background on fluorine is not that helpful (and unsourced). We could source it (have the content), but it is really a distraction from the discussion of the disease (based on fluoride ion) to discuss elemental fluorine (not the ion). I'm going to cut a lot of the non-applicable background and just make this make more sense with what we have here.TCO (Reviews needed) 22:09, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Tea
From the referenced article -

" The patient reported that for the past 17 years, she has habitually consumed a pitcher of tea made from 100 to 150 tea bags daily (estimated fluoride intake, >20 mg per day) "

A normal tea drinker has 2-6 tea bags daily, a tea "nut" might have 10-12 bags daily.

So, this is simply reporting an extreme case. Sure, it is worth noting that if you go to the extreme, even an otherwise beneficial substance like tea can cause illness. "Moderation in everything".

Tibet is also mentioned in connection with osteofluorosis from tea. From first hand experience, Tibetans drink a huge amount of tea. They often mix food and tea, in addition to making vats of it all day. I expect that it is part of coping with a brutally cold and harsh land. So, that is also an extreme case.

The article might be read by some impressionable people that regular tea drinking can lead to osteofluorosis or having one extra cup might be unhealthy. I have already seen this stated online, so this is not just idle speculation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.209.220.141 (talk) 18:40, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

Regional variations in tea consumption and type of tea should also be taken into account - for example in countries with high levels of black tea consumption such as UK, Ireland and Turkey, the tea is typically brewed to be "stronger" compared to other geographical regions (more raw tea material per quantity of brewing water, and possibly longer brewing time).

A recent analysis of tea available on the Irish market (similar to UK), combined with typical consumption patterns concluded that tea can be a major contribution to excess fluoride intake - "all of the black teas had fluoride concentrations exceeding the enforceable level in drinking water. In addition, all products exceeded the maximum permitted level requiring labelling and safety precautions for bottled mineral water under European regulations" - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808922/

Also, there is most likely a range of susceptibility to fluorosis across individuals. (Just one study is a genetic susceptibility study on mice - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3318017/)

Taking the above into account it seems that, in some cases, "high" but not "extraordinary" levels of tea consumption could possibly be a cause for concern. Sjmsn (talk) 23:43, 21 September 2016 (UTC)