Monitoring fluoride concentration in urine is extremely important as concentrations higher than the recommended level can have mild to severe health consequences. A mild form of excess fluoride is called fluorosis, which leads to the deterioration of teeth and bones. When adults are exposed to fluoride chronically in high amounts, they may develop skeletal fluorosis where bones increase in density and become more brittle. In certain severe cases, joint pain and deformity of the limbs and spine can occur. Excess fluoride also causes other health related problems due to its ability to inhibit enzyme activity.

This fluoride detection method is relevant to the mining/nuclear industry where uranium conversion processes are occurring. Part of this process involves combining uranium oxide with fluoride to yield uranium hexafluoride gas. Monitoring the fluoride levels in the urine of employees involved in these processes would be important to ensure the health and safety of workers. The health care industry is another area that could benefit from this application as low concentrations of fluoride in the urine (<0.1ppm) have been linked with kidney stone formation and kidney disease. Healthy adults can excrete 50% of ingested fluoride, while adults with kidney disease can excrete only 10-20%. Analyzing fluoride levels in the urine of patients may therefore help to diagnose kidney problems.

Camlab and Mantech offer an ideal analytical solution for automated analysis of fluoride in urine. simple to use with low cost sample tubes backed by the quality of  Camlab’s service team.

For the full article or a quotation on a suitable system contact Camlab on 01954 233120 email Mantech@camlab.co.uk