Some coal is high in fluorine and also has iron pyrite. The combination is deadly - when burned it make hydrofluoric acid. (H/T Chris Phoenix
Excess fluorine consumption can often cause dental fluorinosis, a condition in which excess fluorine is deposited in the teeth, discoloring them. In more severe cases, fluorine deposition in the bones can lead to osteofluorosis, which can cause disfigurement, deformity, and chronic pain.
One area in which osteofluorosis is distressingly common is Guizhou, China. Over the past decade, this disease here was linked to the combustion of high Fluorine coal. Studies showed that the clay that was intermixed with the coal was high in F, and a steady stream of recommendations has come along describing how this must be getting aerosolized in smoke ,and adhering to food, particularly corn and chilies hung up in houses to dry.
Flourine appeared inside uncut chilies, and sometimes was associated with silica- particulate matter which should not be able to penetrate food and is biologically inactive.
An adult suffering osteofluorosis in Majiazhuang village in Zhijin County.
Chinese Science Bulletin - Potential release of hydrogen fluoride from domestic coal in endemic fluorosis area in Guizhou, China
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