Saturday, February 09, 2008

Albany, N.Y.: Timesunion.com - Print Story

Albany, N.Y.: Timesunion.com - Print Story: "Fluoride is a byproduct of the manufacturing process of phosphate fertilizer. Much of the nation's fertilizer comes from central Florida, said Tony Besthoff, owner of Faesy and Besthoff, a Connecticut chemical distributor that serves some New York communities.

Fluoride occurs naturally in phosphate rock that is found 25 to 40 feet below the ground in what was once ocean. The fluorine gas created during the fertilizer manufacturing process used to be burned in smokestacks and released into the air, Besthoff said.

When pollution laws were enacted, manufacturers began trapping the gas and converting it to fluoride.

'Making the product is energy intensive and delivering it is energy intensive,' Besthoff said."