Journal article

Publication year: 2002

Pages: 99-104

Journal: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Volume number: 42

Issue number: 1

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002440010297

Publisher: Springer

Abstract: 

To assess regional variation in ambient fluoride levels, we analyzed the fluoride content of 188 antlers of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)
killed between 1990 and 1999 in 14 areas of the federal state of North
Rhine–Westphalia, Germany. Individual antler fluoride concentrations
ranged between 113 and 11,995 mg F⁻/kg bone ash, and sample means differed significantly (p < 0.0001) among the study areas. Low average concentrations (geometric means of 262 and 277 mg F⁻/kg
bone ash, respectively) were found in antler samples from two control
areas, located quite remote to major fluoride emission sources. The
highest geometric mean fluoride content (1,677 mg F⁻/kg bone
ash) was recorded for an antler sample from a study area exposed to
fluoride emissions from an aluminium smelter and two mineral coal-fired
power stations. In eight antlers obtained from roe deer living in the
direct vicinity of the aluminium smelter, fluoride values ranged between
2,067 and 11,995 mg F⁻/kg bone ash, thereby demonstrating
the strong impact of this emission source on its surroundings. The study
showed that by analyzing antler fluoride concentrations, large-scale
surveys of environmental contamination by fluoride can be performed in a
standardized and cost-effective way in areas inhabited by deer. Due to
its rather narrow home range, abundance, and high adaptability, the roe
deer is particularly suited for such studies.

Harvard Citation style: Kierdorf, U. and Kierdorf, H. (2002) Assessing Regional Variation of Environmental Fluoride Concentrations in Western Germany by Analysis of Antler Fluoride Content in Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus), Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 42(1), pp. 99-104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002440010297

APA Citation style: Kierdorf, U., & Kierdorf, H. (2002). Assessing Regional Variation of Environmental Fluoride Concentrations in Western Germany by Analysis of Antler Fluoride Content in Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 42(1), 99-104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002440010297