[Fluoride accumulation and distribution in mulberry insects near fluoride pollution sources]

Fluoride accumulation and the relative fluoride loading of different body parts in wild mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mandarina M.), mulberry geometrid (Pathonandria atrineata B.), and mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) near fluoride pollution sources were studied. Comparison of the fluoride content of insect bodies and mulberry leaves showed that insects collected from polluted sites had increased fluoride accumulation. The digestive tract of the insect had much higher fluoride content than the other parts of the body and was considered to be the important organ of fluoride accumulation. There were also wide differences in fluoride accumulation between different insect species within the same polluted site. The highly significantly correlation between fluoride contents of wild mulberry silkworm, mulberry geometrid, and mulberry silkworm with that of the mulberry leaves on which they were collected was found.