Abstract

Background: Fluoride is characterized by high toxicity, especially in prolonged exposures. Some plants
including Rosemary can higher of accumulate up to 20 000 times this element concentration in the
environment. Consumption of highly fluoridated rosemary can contribute fluorosis and other body
dysfunctions.
Aims: This study aims to evaluate and optimize the extraction procedure of fluorides from the dried
leaves of the plant, and compare the fluoride levels in collected samples. Methodology: nine of
Rosemary samples from different countries including Libya, southern Serbia, Vojvodina and Istria were
investigated in this study. Fluoride levels was determined potentiometrically using the calibration
curve, via fluoride-selective electrode method based on lanthanum fluoride monocrystal. The sensitivity
of the method was defined on the basis of 3SD criteria 3 using excel software.
Results: fluoride concentration in investigated samples was varied. Libyan samples contained (1.8ppm)
which is higher than other samples that ranged between 0.07 to0.49 ppm. However, all samples found
to have fluoride concentration ranged with the recommended levels and less than the toxic or lethal
doses. Conclusion: The modified potentiometric method using fluoride-selective electrode techniques
for fluoride determination is highly effective with detection limit of 10-9 mg/100g and is recommended
in quantification of fluoride in Rosemary and other plant or spice samples. However