Fluoride concentrations in a range of ready-to-drink beverages consumed in Heilongjiang Province, north-east China

Consumption of ready-to-drink beverages, as a potential source of fluoride (F), has increasedconsiderably in China over the last decade. To help inform the public and policy makers, this study aimedto measure F concentration of ready-to-drink beverages on sale in Heilongjiang province, North EastChina. Three batches of 106 drink products manufactured by 26 companies were purchased from themain national supermarkets in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China. The F concentration of all sampleswas determined, in triplicate, using a Fluoride Ion-Selective-Electrode in conjunction with a meter and adirect method of analysis. The products were categorised into 10 groups according to product type. Fconcentrations of the samples ranged from 0.012-1.625mg/l with a mean of 0.189mg/l and a median of0.076mg/l. More than half of the products (55%) had a F concentration of ≤0.1mg/l, while <5% had a Fconcentration of >0.7mg/l. The ‘tea with milk’ group contained the highest mean F concentration(1.350mg/l), whereas the lowest mean F concentration (0.027mg/l) was found for the “fruit juice” group.For some products, such as tea, fruit juice and carbonated beverages, there were substantial variations in Fconcentration between batches, manufacturers and production sites. In conclusion, ready-to-drinkproducts (apart from tea), sold in Heilongjiang province, China, when consumed in moderation areunlikely to constitute a substantial risk factor for the development of dental- or skeletal fluorosis.