Back in 1530, a German mineralogist first described the use of the mineral fluorspar in metal refining. It was useful because it allowed the pure metal to flow and be collected through metal ores. The ‘fluor’ in fluorspar came from the Latin word ‘fluere’ which means ‘to flow’ or ‘flux’- because this is what it has allowed metals to do. We now know this metal as calcium fluoride.
THE DISCOVERY Several chemists carried out experiments containing fluorspar in the early 1800’s. They often produced what they called fluoric acid, or what we today call hydrofluoric acid. This acid is highly reactive and can be a potentially deadly acid. Even small splashes are said to be fatal.
A chemist, by the name of Humphrey Davy, wrote that ‘fluoric’ acid
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It will also react violently with water to produce oxygen and is one of the few elements that can actually attack a diamond.
HISTORICAL USES Until World War II, no commercial product of fluorine was being produced. Although, the nuclear bomb project and energy applications made it necessary to begin producing it in large quantities. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were used in appliances such as refrigerants, air conditioning units, and freezers. They since been banned because of their contribution to ozone depletion.
HOW IT’S USED TODAY Fluorine is not used in the funeral service industry. Although, fluorine and its compounds (mainly uranium hexafluoride) are used in processing nuclear fuel. Fluorochemicals, including high temperature plastics (i.e. Teflon), are also made using fluorine. It is commonly used in the medical field as an ingredient of most chemotherapeutic drugs like 5-fluorouracil and etchant hydrofluoric acid. Compounds of Fluorine, like sodium fluoride, are used in toothpaste and in drinking water to help prevent dental cavities. Hydrofluoric acid (HF) can dissolve glass. It is used to etch the glass of light bulbs and other products like it. HF is easier and safer to transport and handle than pure fluorine. It is considered to be a weak acid at low concentrations - but will act as a strong acid in high concentrations. The element has been further studied for the use of rocket propellant - as it has a exceptionally high specific impulse
Another issue of controversy is the safety of the chemicals used to fluoridate water. The most commonly used additives are silicofluorides, not the fluoride salts used in dental products (such as sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride). Silicofluorides are one of the by-products from the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. The toxicity database on silicofluorides is sparse and questions have been raised about the assumption that they completely dissociate in water and, therefore, have toxicity similar to the fluoride salts tested in laboratory studies and used in consumer products (Coplan and Masters 2001). It also has been maintained that, because of individual variations in exposure to fluoride, it is difficult to ensure that the right individual dose to protect against dental caries is provided through large-scale water fluoridation. In addition, a body of information has developed that indicates the major anticaries benefit of fluoride is topical and not systemic (Zero et al. 1992; Rölla and Ekstrand 1996; Featherstone 1999; Limeback 1999a; Clarkson and McLoughlin 2000; CDC 2001; Fejerskov
The NRC reported in 2007 that fluoride was considered an element essential to life. Fluoride plays an important role in the body’s ability to perform metabolic and biochemical reactions that help prevent tooth decay and help bone formation. Essentially the government says that the fluoridation of water is more helpful than harmful for people as it is a good use of tax dollars as it treats upper class and lower class citizens equally in dental prevention.
Fluoride has been used by people for many decades. The most common use is in toothpaste. Fluoride was added to toothpaste to lower the amount of dental cavities that one gets, and works by protecting the enamel (outer hard layer over the tooth). Another use of fluoride is in drinking water. It was added to drinking water to also help with tooth decay. Many people are debating whether or not this is truly safe. In the essay, “The Fluoride Conspiracy”, by Laurie Higgs, she talks about the use of fluoride drinking waters and dangers it brings by using logos, pathos, and ethos.
They are based on the history over 80 years. Among them, recent development of direct fluorination with elemental fluorine is promising to prepare versatile materials both in creating comfortable life and in reducing environmental burden (Okazoe T, 2009).
Fluorides are compounds that have been combined with the element fluorine with another substance usually a metal (Cancer.org 2015). Fluoride is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, in soil everywhere, in fresh water and in ocean water (Fluoride information network 2015). Fluorides strengthen teeth already present inside the mouth. Once in the digestive tract they travel through the blood to areas with high
Also, fluoride has long been known as a toxic substance. This is the reason that it has been used in pesticides and rodenticides and now
Fluorine (F) is an element found in the 7th group of the periodic table from the halogen family. It’s an element that most reactive as it only needs to gain one electron to form Fluoride ion (F-). It’s in this form of fluoride that is found in our drinking water also known as fluoridated water. Water, food and living organisms are exposed to inorganic fluorides and they are hydrogen fluoride (HF), calcium fluoride (CaF2), sodium fluoride (NaF), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and silicofluoride. Fluoride compounds are plentiful in the earth’s crust and naturally found in rocks, soils, salt and sea water, representing approximately 0.06-0.09%.
Fluoride was first used as a tranquilizer on prisoners prior to World War II. Fluoride’s disturbing history begins in 1924 when the German company I.G. Farben began receiving loans from wealthy and famous American families, including Henry Ford, J.D. Rockefeller, and Max Warburg to name a few. Together, they were the world’s largest producers of toxic sodium fluoride as a byproduct of aluminum production through the ALCOA. The ever inventive Germans had heaps of sodium fluoride laying around from war- time aluminum production, and I.G. Farben decided to find a use other
Fluorine was discovered by Ferdinand Frederic Henri Moissan, a French chemist who was the first to successfully isolate fluorine in 1886 (The Element). Henri Moissan also completely isolated the fluorine gas from the hydrogen gas and had many other great accomplishments. He was even awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1906 (The Element). Fluorine is the most reactive of all elements and no chemical substance is capable of freeing fluorine from any of its compounds (The Element). Fluorine does not occur free in nature and it took many scientists and tries to isolate it (The Element). Fluorine has an atomic number of 9, which means its’ atoms have 9 protons. Fluorine is part of the Halogen group and is a non-metal element (The
In 1931, a chemist by the name of H.V. Churchill, who was involved with the Aluminium Company of America (ACOA), believed that there could be a connection between the mottling and the existence of the element aluminium in the water. However the water was tested where the ALCOA extracted the majority of the aluminium and found extremely high levels of fluoride were encountered, that being 13.7 ppm. Churchill advised McKay on the matter who immediately collected more water samples from various towns where dental problems were an issue. From his recordings McKay found that the high concentration of fluoride found in the water was in fact resulting in the discolouration of teeth.
Fluorine is added in water in certain countries and used in toothpaste so that it can strengthen people’s teeth.
All you need to do is research natural alternatives to fluoride to see what works the best. You may need to try multiple products to determine if one seems
Origin of the name is derived from Latin ‘fluere’ meaning to flow. Fluorine was discovered in 1886 by a French chemist by the name of Henri Moissan in France. His own work was interrupted/stopped four times by serious poisoning
The chemical waste product, Hydrofluorosilicic acid, is “scrubbed” from the smokestacks of the phosphate fertilizer industry. It is then transported from the processing plant by tanker trucks and delivered to municipal water treatment plants, where it is then added to the water by an operator. The Center of Disease Control sets the optimal fluoride threshold at 1 parts per million (ppm), however, fluoride is concentrated by wastewater treatment and continues downstream for miles. Society only drinks a very low percentage of fluoridated water compared to the amount that is released into the environment. An instructor in water treatment systems, Peter VanCaulart, explains, “99.5% of all the fluoride that gets put in with the purported use of
i. Although defenders of fluoride continue to claim that there are no dangers in using fluoride for dental care, the facts speak for themselves. Dr. Edward Group, who in his 2015 article “The Dangers of Fluoride” stated that “Every year Poison Control centers receive thousands of calls from people