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Lung cancer: Is fluoride in cigarette smoke an etiological factor?
Medical Hypotheses 20: 51, 1986
LUNG CAYCER: IS FLUORIDE IN CIGARETTE SE:OKE AN ETIOIQGICAL FACTOR? Philip R.N. Sutton, 86 Carlton St., 3053, Melbourne,
Australia
INTRODUCTION physicians seem to be in general agreement that cigarette smoking is a factor in producing lung cancer, but that the main carcinogenic substance in the smoke has not been identified. Recent evidence su,qzests that this may be fluoride in the smoke. Five ?I?0 groups concluded that fluoride I... at usual airnollution levels'... 'promotes or accelerates lung disease.'(l) Okamura and P'atsuhisa found that cigarettes contain from 35 ppm F, and that the average amount of fluoride in each American cigarette was 224,ug (2) - approximately 5 mg in 22 cigarettes. If only half of each cigarette is smoked and a third of the smoke inhaled, as the absorption of inhaled fluoride is essentially complete (3), a person smoking 27 cigarettes a day will absorb through the lungs approximately 1 mg fluoride daily. to 640
liydrogen fluoride, which is highly toxic and corrosive, may be formed when fluoride is exposed to considerable heat, such as in a burning cigarette. In 1984, Tsutsui et al. (4) found that NaF induces unscheduled DNA synthesis in cultures of human oral keratinocytes exposed to 100-300 g/ml NaF for four hours. P 'Yhess facts suggest that the fluoride present in cigarette smoke may be an etiological factor in lung cancer. ;ieferences 1.
Research into environmental .;orld Xealth Organization. ';1i0Tech. Rep. Series No. 406. iVHO,Geneva,1968,38. pollution.
2.
Okamura T & Vatsuhisa T. J Food Hygiene Society of Japan 7ef 3 below.) 6: 38~. (Cited from Rose B P, Varier JR.
3.
hse
D & xrarier JR . Environmental fluoride. NRCC No. 16081 r'ational lesearch Council of Canada, Ontario, 1977. pp.78,106.
4.. Tsutsui T, Ide K h b:aizumi H. Induction of unscheduled DNA synthesis in cultured human oral keratinocytes by sodium fluoride. P'utation research 140: 43-8, 1984.
51
LUNG CAYCER: IS FLUORIDE IN CIGARETTE SE:OKE AN ETIOIQGICAL FACTOR? Philip R.N. Sutton, 86 Carlton St., 3053, Melbourne,
Australia
INTRODUCTION physicians seem to be in general agreement that cigarette smoking is a factor in producing lung cancer, but that the main carcinogenic substance in the smoke has not been identified. Recent evidence su,qzests that this may be fluoride in the smoke. Five ?I?0 groups concluded that fluoride I... at usual airnollution levels'... 'promotes or accelerates lung disease.'(l) Okamura and P'atsuhisa found that cigarettes contain from 35 ppm F, and that the average amount of fluoride in each American cigarette was 224,ug (2) - approximately 5 mg in 22 cigarettes. If only half of each cigarette is smoked and a third of the smoke inhaled, as the absorption of inhaled fluoride is essentially complete (3), a person smoking 27 cigarettes a day will absorb through the lungs approximately 1 mg fluoride daily. to 640
liydrogen fluoride, which is highly toxic and corrosive, may be formed when fluoride is exposed to considerable heat, such as in a burning cigarette. In 1984, Tsutsui et al. (4) found that NaF induces unscheduled DNA synthesis in cultures of human oral keratinocytes exposed to 100-300 g/ml NaF for four hours. P 'Yhess facts suggest that the fluoride present in cigarette smoke may be an etiological factor in lung cancer. ;ieferences 1.
Research into environmental .;orld Xealth Organization. ';1i0Tech. Rep. Series No. 406. iVHO,Geneva,1968,38. pollution.
2.
Okamura T & Vatsuhisa T. J Food Hygiene Society of Japan 7ef 3 below.) 6: 38~. (Cited from Rose B P, Varier JR.
3.
hse
D & xrarier JR . Environmental fluoride. NRCC No. 16081 r'ational lesearch Council of Canada, Ontario, 1977. pp.78,106.
4.. Tsutsui T, Ide K h b:aizumi H. Induction of unscheduled DNA synthesis in cultured human oral keratinocytes by sodium fluoride. P'utation research 140: 43-8, 1984.
51