A study of the impact of industrial fluoride emissions on a rural environment.

In this note we study current fluoride levels in the area of Onton, Cantabria (Spain), in the vicinity of a factory whose main industrial activity is the production of fluoride compounds. When the factory opened in the early 1970s, it was the source of a serious pollution problem; an increasing number of cases of fluorosis in cattle on farms near the factor were detected in addition to extensive damage to vegetation. Although the company implemented an antipollution plan to minimize fluoride emission levels in 1975, this problem has not yet been solved. The factory is situated by the sea on the north coast of Spain in a mountainous area. Two valleys stretch south and southeast of the factory in the direction of the prevailing winds. The climate is mild and wet. Since stock-raising is the dominant activity in the region, the area is mostly devoted to pasture. The study, which was done in 1986, measured fluoride concentrations in air, surface water, and pastures, and in milk and urine samples from cattle.