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  4. Fluorine, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorides

Fluorine, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorides

Toxic Substance

    What is Fluorine, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorides?

    CAS#: Fluorine 007782-41-4 , Hydrogen Fluoride 007664-39-3, Sodium Fluoride 007681-49-4

    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.

    Related Resources for Fluorine, Hydrogen Fluoride, and Fluorides

    • CERCLA 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.
    • Interaction Profile
      Succintly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for mixtures of hazardous substances.
    • 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.
    • Public Health Statement
      Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile.
    • ToxFAQ
      Fact sheet that answers the most frequently asked questions about a contaminant and its health effects.
    • Toxicological Profile
      Succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance.
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    This page was updated on 09/22/2008