Deaths in cattle suggestive of subacute fluorine poisoning following ingestion of superphosphate

Abstract

Extract

Poisoning of cattle and sheep with superphosphate where the fertilizer was stored within reach of the animals has been reported by Romanenko (1954). In New Zealand losses of pregnant and lactating ewes grazing pastures topdressed with phosphatic fertilizers have been recognixed for several years, and records kept since 1965 show that 39 outbreaks have been reported to Ruakura Animal Health Laboratory (P. J. O'Hara, pers. comm.). Swan and McIntosh (1952) have described the toxicity to dairy cows of grazing pasture topdressed with North African phosphate and superphosphate. The toxic factor was later identified as fluorine (Animal Research Division of the New Zealand Department of Agriculture Reports 1952–3, p. 28; 1953–4, p. 34; 1954–5, p. 35). Phosphatic fertilizers are known to contain 1 to 4% fluorine (Caro, 1964), and the danger of poisoning stock with fluorine in untreated phosphates used as feed supplements has been described by many authors (Emmerling, 1902; Dammann and Manegold, 1904; Gardiner, 1930; Phillips et al., 1934; Hatfield et al., 1942; Udall, 1947; Fincher, 1952; Harris et al., 1952; Crampton, 1954; Dale and Crampton, 1955; Snook, 1962; Rek, 1967; Agarwala et al, 1971).