What happens if you ingest fluoride

It tends to affect only children under the age of 8 who have permanent teeth still coming in. Children are also more likely to swallow toothpaste, which contains significantly more fluoride than fluoridated water. Skeletal fluorosis is similar to dental fluorosis, but it involves bones instead of teeth.

Early symptoms include joint pain and stiffness. Over time, it can alter bone structure and cause the calcification of ligaments. It tends to result from long-term exposure to high levels of fluoride, often in drinking water. Several things can cause excessive fluoride in water, including accidental contamination from fires or explosions.

Some areas, including large parts of Africa and Asia, also have large geologic deposits of fluoride, which can contaminate water supplies. In the case of a year-old American man with skeletal fluorosis, experts concluded it was likely due to swallowing toothpaste.

Researchers from around the world have conducted hundreds of studies that look at the safety of adding low concentrations of fluoride to drinking water. However, some people claim that fluoridated water causes a variety of health problems, including:.

The research behind these claims is mixed. For example, a study found that childhood exposure to fluoridated water was linked to higher rates of bone cancer in males.

Studies looking at the link between fluoride and low IQ scores in children also have mixed results. A review of existing research concluded that there may be a link between the two, but noted that more large, high-quality studies are needed.

Not every city in the United States fluoridates its drinking water. The decision about whether or not to fluoridate is made by each city. While fluoride is technically considered a toxin, it is completely safe to digest in small amounts, including the amount used in toothpaste to brush teeth.

Fluoride is also present in low quantities in all drinking water to help minimize cavities and decay. If your child ingests some toothpaste while brushing their teeth, they should be completely fine! It would take them eating multiple tubes of toothpaste to have any kind of serious reaction to the fluoride. We understand that the flavors may tempt your child to sneak into the bathroom and eat the toothpaste on its own. Levine MD.

Chemical injuries. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Editorial team. Fluoride overdose. Poisonous Ingredient Fluoride can be harmful in large amounts. Where Found Fluoride is found in many over-the-counter and prescription products, including: Certain mouthwashes and toothpastes Certain vitamins Tri-Vi-Flor, Poly-Vi-Flor, Vi-Daylin F Water that has fluoride added to it Sodium fluoride liquid and tablets Fluoride may also be found in other household items, including: Etching cream also called acid cream, used to etch designs in drinking glasses Roach powders Other products may also contain fluoride.

Symptoms Symptoms of a fluoride overdose include: Abdominal pain Abnormal taste in the mouth salty or soapy taste Diarrhea Drooling Eye irritation if it gets in the eyes Headache Abnormal levels of calcium and potassium in the blood Irregular or slow heartbeat Cardiac arrest in severe cases Nausea and vomiting Shallow breathing Tremors rhythmic movements Weakness.

Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready: Person's age, weight, and condition for example, is the person awake or alert? Name of the product ingredients and strength, if known Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Call for help even if you don't know this information. Long-term exposure to levels higher than this can cause a condition called skeletal fluorosis , in which fluoride builds up in the bones.

This can eventually result in joint stiffness and pain, and can also lead to weak bones or fractures in older adults. The EPA has also set a secondary standard of no more than 2.

In this condition, fluoride collects in developing teeth, preventing tooth enamel from forming normally. This can cause permanent staining or pitting of teeth. The secondary standard is a guideline, as opposed to an enforceable regulation, but public water systems must tell their customers if the fluoride level goes above it.

States can set maximum fluoride levels in drinking water that are lower than the national 4. The fluoride levels allowed vary based on the annual average air temperature in the place where the water is sold. For bottled water with no fluoride added, the maximum fluoride level allowed is 2. For water in which fluoride is added, the maximum allowed is 1.

However, if fluoride is added, the FDA recommends that manufacturers not go above 0. People have raised questions about the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation since it first began.

Over the years, many studies have looked at the possible link between fluoride and cancer. There was no evidence of cancer-causing potential in female rats or in male or female mice. Most of the concern about cancer seems to be around osteosarcoma. One theory on how fluoridation might affect the risk of osteosarcoma is based on the fact that fluoride tends to collect in parts of bones where they are growing.

These areas, known as growth plates , are where osteosarcomas typically develop. The theory is that fluoride might somehow cause the cells in the growth plate to grow faster, which might make them more likely to eventually become cancerous. More than 50 population-based studies have looked at the potential link between water fluoride levels and cancer.

Most of these have not found a strong link to cancer. Just about all of the studies have been retrospective looking back in time. They have compared, for example, the rates of cancer in a community before and after water fluoridation, or compared cancer rates in communities with lower levels of fluoride in drinking water to those with higher levels either naturally or due to fluoridation. Some factors are hard to control for in these types of studies that is, the groups being compared may be different in ways other than just the drinking water , so the conclusions reached by any single study must be looked at with caution.

And there are other issues that make this topic hard to study. For example, if fluoridation is a risk factor, is the type of fluoride used important? Also, is there a specific level of fluoride above which the risk is increased, or a certain amount of time or an age range during which a person would need to be exposed? Osteosarcoma is a rare cancer.

Only about cases are diagnosed in children and teens each year in the United States. This means it can be hard to gather enough cases to do large studies. Smaller studies can usually detect big differences in cancer rates between 2 groups, but they might not be able to detect small differences. If fluoride increased the risk only slightly, it might not be picked up by these types of studies. Small studies by themselves might not provide the answers, but taken as a whole they tend to have more weight.

Several systematic reviews over the past 25 years have looked at all of the studies published on this subject. When looking at a possible link with cancer, they first reviewed the results of studies done with lab animals.