Presence and concentration of fluoride in salt brands distributed in El Salvador

Abstract

In this descriptive study, 25 salt samples obtained in the different supermarkets, markets and stores in the city of San Salvador were analyzed. The chemical analysis of fluoride quantification was carried out in the Laboratory of Physical-Chemical Quality Control of Medicines, Cosmetics and Foods of the Center for Research and Development in Health (CENSALUD), of the University of El Salvador. With the potentiometry method by means of the CRISON brand specific fluorine ion electrode apparatus, the concentration of the fluorine content in each of the samples is determined, resulting in a value in millivolts. These values, through subsequent calculations, were transformed to a quantification in parts per million using a standard curve previously obtained with known concentrations of fluorine (fluorine calibration standards of 1 ppm, 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 20 ppm, 50 ppm and 100 ppm) using the linear regression method. The classification and analysis of the results obtained in this study were based on the fluorine values ​​in salt recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which range from 180 to 220 ppm. Taking this information into account, the analyzes showed that, of the 26 samples analyzed, 21 were below the level recommended by WHO and the remaining 5 exceeded that range.