Fluoride concentrations in antler bone of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) indicate decreasing fluoride pollution in an industrialized area of western Germany

In order to reconstruct temporal changes in ambient fluoride levels in the industrialized Ruhr area (western Germany), we analyzed the bone fluoride c ontent of 167 antlers of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) killed between 1951 and 1999 in the northern part of this region. Individual values ranged bet ween 110 and 8,178 mg F-/kg ash, and there was an overall marked decrease o ver the sampling period. Average bone fluoride concentrations in antlers fr om the periods 1980 through 1989 (geometric mean [95% confidence interval]: 1,490[1.193-1,861] mg/kg ash) and 1990 through 1999 (753 [644-882] mg/kg a sh) differed significantly (p < 0.001) and were both significantly (p < 0.0 01) lower than those from the periods 1951 through 1969 (3,720 [3,227-4,288 ] mg/kg ash) and 1970 through 1979 (2,573 [2,203-3,006] mg/kg ash). The fin dings are seen as indicative of a progressively reduced atmospheric fluorid e deposition into the study area, caused by affective emission-control meas ures in Germany and neighboring countries. Because antlers are replaced ann ually. grow during a fixed period of some months, and are regularly collect ed and kept as trophies, they are well suited as monitoring units for analy zing temporal trends in environmental pollution by fluoride and other bone- seeking pollutants.