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THE FATE OF FLUOROSILICATE DRINKING WATER ADDITIVES
Citation:
Urbansky*, E T. THE FATE OF FLUOROSILICATE DRINKING WATER ADDITIVES. Pratt, L.R. (ed.), CHEMICAL REVIEWS. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 102(8):2837-2854, (2002).
Impact/Purpose:
publish information
Description:
Periodically, the EPA reexamines its information on regulated drinking water contaminants to deterime if further study is required. Fluoride is one such contaminant undergoing review. The chemical literature indicates that some deficiencies exist in our understanding of the speciation of fluoride derived from fluorosilicate additives used to treat drinking water; hexafluorosilicic acid is the most commonly used additive. In addition, legislation governing the use of fluoridating agents has been proposed recently at the state level. One such bill under consideration includes language that specifically addresses issues such as partial dissociation products, products formed by reactions with other dissolved matter, and total release of F-, and it imposes requirements that any such species be measurable at concentrations as low as 1 ng mL-1. Consequently, there is renewed interest in the chemistry of fluoridation processes and additives. The principal objectives of this review are as follows: (1) to enumerate unresolved chemical issues germane to understanding fluoridate and ascertaining the fate of fluoride and fluorospecies, (2) to critically review what is known or reports, and (3) to assemble a knowledge base to provide a startting point for future study.
