FLUORINE EXCRETION IN CHILDREN AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF EXPOSURE TO EMISSIONS FROM ALUMINUM PRODUCTION

Abstract

Introduction. To assess the risk of development of disorders caused by excess or lack of fluorine, it is important to have information about the levels of exposure and excretion of fluorine by various routes of intake. Purpose - to reveal the features of fluoride ion excretion in children exposed to different levels of exposure to fluorine compounds contained in emissions from aluminum production. Materials and methods. Observation groups were formed from 245 people exposed to a high level of exposure to fluorine compounds, 148 - to a low level. For comparison, a control group was formed of 155 children living in cities that do not have industrial sources of fluorine emission on their territory. Daily urine samples were used as a biomaterial, that reflects the level of excretion. Analysis of the fluoride ion content was carried out by the potentiometric method using a fluorine selective electrode. The correlation with age was estimated by the Spearman coefficient. Results. The data obtained indicate that the urinary excretion of fluoride ion in children living in the industrial centers of the Irkutsk region does not differ, both in terms of average values ​​and in the proportion of children whose excretion exceeds the reference regional levels. In an individual assessment of fluoride excretion, it was noted that the proportion of children with excretion above the regional reference value in the exposed group was 45.7 3.2%, in the group with low exposure - 43.9 4.1%, and in the control group 47.7 4.0%. The maximum values ​​of fluoride ion excretion in children living in the areas affected by emissions from large aluminum production enterprises are 2.4 times higher than the maximum in the unexposed group, and the average content in the subgroup included in the fourth quartile is higher than in the control group in 1,4 times. Conclusion. Excretion of fluoride ion with urine in children of industrial centers is associated not only with the level of inhalation exposure, but also has an inverse relationship with age.