How can fluoride, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorine affect my health?
Small amounts of fluoride help prevent tooth cavities, but high levels can harm your health. In adults, exposure to high levels of fluoride can result in denser bones. However, if exposure is high enough, these bones may be more fragile and brittle and there may be a greater risk of breaking the bone. In animals, exposure to extremely high doses of fluoride can result in decreased fertility and sperm and testes damage. Fluorine and hydrogen fluoride are very irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. At high levels, such as may occur through exposure from an industrial accident, hydrogen fluoride may also damage the heart.
