Water Quality

Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Fluoride

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Ministry of Environment
Province of British Columbia

P.D. Warrington, Ph.D.
Resource Quality Section
Water Management Branch
Victoria BC
July 1995

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Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Occurrence
3.0 Fluoride Metabolism
4.0 Drinking Water
5.0 Aquatic Life
6.0 Livestock
7.0 Wildlife
8.0 Irrigation
9.0 Recreation
10.0 Industrial
11.0 Research Needs
12.0 References

Tables

Table 1.1 Summary Table of Recommended Criteria for Fluoride
Table 2.1 Percentage of Fluorine by Weight in some Fluoride Salts and their Solubility in Water at 0 to 25° C (Weast, 1968)
Table 3.1 Fluoride Concentrations in Foods-(mg/kg)
Table 3.2 Daily Fluoride Intake from Food by Adults (mg/day)
Table 3.3 Effects of Fluoride Doses on Mammals**
Table 4.1 Literature Criteria for Fluoride: Drinking Water
Table 4.2 Temperature Dependence of Fluoride Limits in Drinking Water
Table 5.1 Literature Criteria for Fluoride: Aquatic Life
Table 5.2 Effects of Fluoride on Fish
Table 5.3 Effects of Fluoride on Aquatic Organisms other than Fish
Table 5.4 Recommended Acute Toxicity Test Medium for Aquatic Organisms (Anon, 1975)
Table 5.5 Fresh Water Aquatic Life LC50 Data for Temperature vs. Fluoride
Table 5.6 Fresh Water Aquatic Life non-LC50 Data for Temperature vs. Fluoride
Table 5.7 Fresh Water Aquatic Life LC50 Data for Hardness vs. Fluoride
Table 5.8 Fresh Water Aquatic Life non-LC50 Data for Hardness vs. Fluoride
Table 5.9 Fluoride Accumulation in Marine Invertebrates as a Function of the Ambient Fluoride Levels in the Water
Table 5.10 Fluoride Accumulation in Marine Fish as a Function of the Ambient Fluoride Levels
Table 5.11 Percent Mortality of Catla catla fry at various Fluoride Levels
Table 5.12 Fluoride Accumulation in Freshwater Fish as a Function of Ambient Fluoride Levels and Exposure Time
Table 5.13 Calculated and Measured Fluoride Levels, Hardness and Fish Survival
Table 5.14 Time in Hours to Initial and Final Deaths of Rainbow Trout
Table 6.1 Literature Criteria for Fluoride: Livestock and Wildlife
Table 6.2 Safe Dietary levels, in mg/kg, of Fluoride for Livestock
Table 8.1 Effect of Fluoride in Irrigation Water on Vegetation
Table 8.2 Literature Criteria for Fluoride: Irrigation
Table 10.1 Literature Criteria for Fluoride: Industry