Since the late 1990's, governments around the world have been bombarded with pressure from environmental groups to ban the use of fluorine-derived chemicals in drinking water, organic foods and other consumables. As more and more studies about these chemicals are sponsored and brought to light, many environmental and public health groups are taking steps in an attempt to force governments to completely abolish the use of this "sometimes" poisonous element.

Despite the attempts to ban their use, fluorochemicals are used in industries and in agriculture around the world. So what exactly are fluorochemicals? What role do they play and why are so many people crying out against their use?

Meet the Element

Along with chlorine, bromine and iodine, Fluorine is part of the Halogen family. It is one of the 92 known naturally occurring elements (number 9 on the periodic table), and the most chemically reactive and electronegative. In other words, it reacts violently to almost every other element, organic or not, and is almost never found alone in nature. Its pure form is a yellowish-brown corrosive and highly reactive gas.

Fluorine is usually found in combination with other elements like metals to form compounds known as fluorides and with the element carbon to form fluorocarbons or fluorochemicals. Fluoride, often added to drinking water, is made possible by combining elements with opposite charges as a base to its acidic properties. Fluoride is still added to the drinking water in many areas of the world, and it is a major ingredient in toothpastes. In both cases, the intent is to protect teeth against enamel decay. Fluorochemicals are Freon, industrial solvents and stain-repellents.

Unfortunately, fluoride tends to accumulate in the body rather than being flushed out. The accumulated fluorides can reach harmful or toxic levels, especially when it is highly concentrated or in produce grown where fluoride-based pesticides are used. Fluoride binds with other elements very easily, and it may carry along other elements like lead and arsenic.

In Agriculture

Fluorochemicals have many different uses and roles in agriculture. The most common use is to protect crops in the field as an ingredient in pesticides and herbicides. It has nearly taken the place of bromomethane, a pesticide that came under fire for its toxicity to the environment. Fluorine provides a viable and valuable alternative to bromomethane in pest-control products, and its introduction has led to the development of new and more active ingredients for pesticide purposes.

Fluoro compounds also may be added to soil to sterilize it before specific crops are sowed into it. As a soil sterilizing agent, fluorine can neutralize any growth by crops other than those intended to be grown there. By reducing the growth of anything other than the target product, fluorine can help ensure that there are enough nutrients in the soil for that one crop.

In addition, fluoridation helps decontaminate water that might otherwise be useless for irrigating crops. The water fluoridation process is integral to watering and sustaining the crops, and of course, in providing water for cattle and other animals.

Chemicals derived from fluoride are used as fumigants to reduce pest infestation of stored grains and other food products. Sulfuryl fluoride, derived from fluorine, is used in gas fumigants to reduce the incidence of rats, mice and other pests that invade food storage and transportation structures. Unlike other pesticides, sulfuryl fluoride has a minimal impact on the germination of seeds and grains, making it a better choice for eliminating pest infestations in grain elevators, warehouses, mills, dried fruit and nut storage and stationary transport vehicles.

New processes in processing are producing fluorochemicals that are less toxic to the environment and deliver more advantages in agriculture. As the industry continues to grow, they will continue to find ways to make these chemicals more productive and safer to use.