How can someone come into contact with hydrogen fluoride?
Exposure to small amounts of fluoride can occur by breathing air, drinking water, eating food or using some other products that contain fluoride. Fluoride in low amounts will not harm people, and may actually have health benefits such as preventing tooth decay. • In the air: Small amounts of fluoride are normally found in the air. The amount of fluoride that you breathe in a day is much less than what you may consume in food and water. You may breathe in higher levels of fluoride in areas near coal-fired power plants or fluoride-related industries (e.g., aluminum smelters, phosphorus fertilizer plants) or near hazardous waste sites. • In the water: Many communities fluoridate their water supplies to prevent dental decay (the recommended level of fluoride is around 1 part per million). Persons living in non-fluoridated areas may be exposed through beverages and foods processed in fluoridated areas because they are likely made with fluoridated water. • In the soil: The concentration of f
