AGE-ACCUMULATION OF FLUORIDE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL POPULATION OF SHORT-TAILED FIELD VOLES (MICROTUS-AGRESTIS L)

This paper reports on the effects of a diet of vegetation contaminated by atmospheric fluorides upon the growth and age-accumulation of fluo ride by a laboratory-maintained population of the short-tailed field v ole, M. agrestis. a wild herbivore. Offspring of the voles fed the con taminated diet generally had lower growth rates and body weights durin g infancy and early adulthood than those fed a reference diet. The con centration and total fluoride burden of the femur were significantly h igher in voles fed the contaminated diet. Following birth, the incisor s of all offspring appeared normal, regardless of diet. Later, from ap proaching weaning onwards, the incisors of offspring weaned on to the contaminated diet showed marked morphological changes and severe denta l lesions. Fluoride concentrations in the femur increased rapidly in l ate-suckling infants whose mothers were fed the contaminated diet, but appeared to reach an equilibrium concentration in adults which coinci ded with a slowing of the growth rate. Age is clearly an important inf luence upon the toxicology of fluoride because it affects the rate of accumulation by skeletal tissue.