Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorine

CAS ID#: 7782-41-4

Affected Organ Systems: Cardiovascular (Heart and Blood Vessels), Dermal (Skin), Musculoskeletal (Muscles and Skeleton), Ocular (Eyes), Respiratory (From the Nose to the Lungs)

Cancer Classification:  Please contact NTP, IARC, or EPA with questions on cancer and cancer classification.

Chemical Classification: Inorganic substances, Metals/Elements (the simplest forms of matter)

Summary: Fluorides, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorine are chemically related. Fluorine is a naturally-occurring, pale yellow-green gas with a sharp odor. It combines with metals to make fluorides such as sodium fluoride and calcium fluoride, both white solids. Sodium fluoride dissolves easily in water, but calcium fluoride does not. Fluorine also combines with hydrogen to make hydrogen fluoride, a colorless gas. Hydrogen fluoride dissolves in water to form hydrofluoric acid. Fluorine and hydrogen fluoride are used to make certain chemical compounds. Hydrofluoric acid is used for etching glass. Other fluoride compounds are used in making steel, chemicals, ceramics, lubricants, dyes, plastics, and pesticides. Fluorides are often added to drinking water supplies and to a variety of dental products, including toothpaste and mouth rinses, to prevent dental cavities.
UPDATE: In 2015, the PHS replaced the 1962 Drinking Water Standards from 0.7–1.2 mg/L to an optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L. This is to provide optimal concentration of fluoride in drinking water that provides the best balance of protection from dental caries while limiting the risk of dental fluorosis.

Community Members
Community Members

ToxFAQs - Fact sheet that answers the most frequently asked questions about a contaminant and its health effects.

Public Health Statement - Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile.

Water Fluoridation Basics - The mineral fluoride occurs naturally on earth and is released from rocks into the soil, water, and air. All water contains some fluoride.

Emergency Responders
Emergency Responders

Medical Management Guidelines (MMG) for Acute Chemical Exposure - Publication intended to aid emergency department physicians and other emergency healthcare professionals who manage acute exposures resulting from chemical incidents.

Toxicological and Health Professionals
Toxicological and Health Professionals

Toxicological Profile - Succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance.

ToxGuidepdf icon[102 KB] - Quick reference guide providing information such as chemical and physical properties, sources of exposure, routes of exposure, minimal risk levels, children's health, and health effects for a substance.

Priority List of Hazardous Substances - Prioritization of substances based on a combination of their frequency, toxicity, and potential for human exposure at National Priorities List (NPL) sites.

Minimal Risk Levels (MRL) - The MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse, non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. The information in this MRL serves as a screening tool to help public health professionals decide where to look more closely to evaluate possible risk of adverse health effects from human exposure.

Interaction Profiles - Succintly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for mixtures of hazardous substances.

Page last reviewed: February 10, 2021