Skeletal fluorosis in marsupials: A comparison of bone lesions in six species from an Australian industrial site

C Death; G Coulson; U Kierdorf; H Kierdorf; R Ploeg; SM Firestone; I Dohoo; J Hufschmid

Journal article

Skeletal fluorosis in marsupials: A comparison of bone lesions in six species from an Australian industrial site

C Death, G Coulson, U Kierdorf, H Kierdorf, R Ploeg, SM Firestone, I Dohoo, J Hufschmid

Science of the Total Environment | ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV | Published : 2017

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.183

Abstract

In this study we explored the prevalence, type, location and severity of skeletal lesions in six species of Australian marsupial (Macropus giganteus, Notamacropus rufogriseus, Wallabia bicolor, Phascolarctos cinereus, Trichosurus vulpecula and Pseudocheirus peregrinus) from high and low-fluoride environments. Lesions occurred to varying extents in all species, and lesion distribution varied with biomechanical differences in gait and mastication. Bone fluoride levels increased with severity of periosteal hyperostosis. The mean bone fluoride concentration of individuals lacking hyperostosis (across all species, from both high and low-fluoride environments) was 1100 ± 260 μg F−/g dry bone, comp..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Clare Death Author

Graeme Coulson Author

Richard Ploeg Author

Simon Firestone Author

Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

Clare Death was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award Industry Scholarship in collaboration with Portland Aluminium, and the Holsworth Wildlife Endowment Fund. The funders are supportive of publication but had no role in study design or preparation of the manuscript.