A Simple Question about Fluoride.
If, as my dentist friends tell me, their cavity business has plummeted due to the success of fluoride-enhanced toothpaste, why do we have to also have it in our drinking water?
Eleven Facts You May Like to Consider:
- Fluoride is added to our water at the ‘optimal’ dose of 1 ppm (equal to 1 mg/l).
This dose was set in the 1940s and was based on the assumption that the total intake of fluoride would be 1 mg/day, (about 4 glasses of water). However, today fluoride is also present in virtually everything we consume. A fact that is not taken into consideration when determining fluoride levels in drinking water. - Most foods are made with fluoridated water. Crops are sprayed with fluoridated water and treated with pesticides that contain fluoride. Eat a bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast and a can of coke with lunch and you have already consumed 230% of the recommended ‘optimal’ dose.
- Cooking in fluoridated water also increases dietary fluoride levels, unlike chlorine, fluoride does not dissipate in the steam, rather it remains in the water and concentrates in the cooked food.
- Because of the increase in fluoride exposure from all sources combined, the rate of dental fluorosis has increased significantly over the past 50 years. Dental fluorosis (discolouration and pitting of the teeth) is often touted as simply an aesthetic problem, however, it is actually the first visible sign of fluoride poisoning.
- The ‘optimal’ level of 1 ppm is calculated for an average adult, so the dose received by an infant 1/10th of the weight of an adult would be 10 times the ‘optimal’ level.
- 99% of tap water is not consumed as it ends up down the drain, on the garden, is used to wash clothes, dishes, in the shower or bath, and so on.
There is absolutely no need for fluoride to be added to drinking water. - Naturally occurring organic calcium-fluoro-phosphate is an edible salt, insoluble in water and easily assimilated by the body, where it builds and strengthens bones and teeth. It is entirely different from sodium fluoride, which is soluble in water and cannot be assimilated by the body.
- The first use of fluoridated drinking water was in Germany’s Nazi prison camps, allegedly to sterilize humans and force the prisoners into calm submission. Sodium fluoride is a common rat poison and was used in nerve gas.
- Fluoride can diminish bone strength and increase the risk of fractures. According to the NRC, fracture risk may be increased at levels as low as 1.5 ppm.
- Fluoride can interfere with the function of the thyroid gland, resulting in iodine deficiency. Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of brain damage and mental disability in the world.
- Most people are aware of the fact that chlorine reacts to form numerous compounds, such as chloramines after it is added to our drinking water. However many people are not aware that fluorine is much more reactive than chlorine and is capable of forming any number of deadly compounds.
(There is some good news. Scroll down to our recommendations to see it.)
Fluoride is acknowledged as one of the most toxic substances known to man, yet based on its inclusion in virtually every brand of toothpaste, the Australian Dental Association says it’s okay to use fluoride for preventative dental care. Other products, such as bottled water, infant formulas, and even vitamin supplements, now contain fluoride!
Let’s look at the USA as our model. After all, we copy almost everything else the US does, don’t we?
In 2002, nearly 90% of the U.S. population was supplied water via public water systems, and around 67% of that number received fluoridated water. This occurred in spite of the fact,
“No statistically significant differences were found in the decay rates of permanent teeth or the percentages of decay-free children in the fluoridated, non-fluoridated, and partially fluoridated areas.”
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) typically label fluoride as “…toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact” and that PPE (personal protection equipment) for handling should include safety glasses and gloves. Fluorides are more toxic than lead and only slightly less poisonous than arsenic These toxins can enter your body from brushing your teeth or rinsing with many popular dental care products!
Fluoride compounds are added to water in more and more areas and, as we mentioned, is used in most brands of toothpaste to help prevent tooth decay. However, fluoride has never been proven to significantly aid in protecting teeth from the development of cavities.
Every year US Poison Control centres receive thousands of calls from people reporting excessive consumption of fluoride-containing products, such as vitamins, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. Fluoride poisoning severely damages the body and can be fatal. This lethal chemical creates a toxic state that can cause a variety of harmful effects.
Also, Practically all of the beverages sold in stores use tap water. The customers who drink those beverages ingest a fair amount of added fluoride. When the availability of such beverages is combined with the amount of fluoridated tap water, one can appreciate the high level of fluoride in the present-day diet.
The ingestion of these simple everyday foods can introduce an increased amount of fluoride into the body:
- Reconstituted dry food
- Food cooked in a Teflon pan
- Soup made at home and in restaurants
- Mechanically deboned chicken
- Anesthetics used to knock you out for surgery also contain fluorides.
Potential Results of Consuming Fluoride
Acute Poisoning
- Birth Defects
- Osteoarthritis
- Bone & Uterine Cancer
- Perinatal Death
- Immune System Suppression
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Essential enzyme inhibition
- Lowered IQ (especially in young children)
- Skeletal Fluorosis (leading to brittle teeth and bones)
How Safe is Water Fluoridation?
The practise of water fluoridation has been rejected or banned in several countries including China, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Japan [6].
Nearly all of Europe’s water supply is fluoride-free, and thankfully, some Australian communities are realizing this is the healthier choice. In the US, more than 45 cities have rejected the process of water fluoridation since 1990. If the remaining 30,000 will follow along, the entire nation will have access to fluoride-free water.
With all this knowledge and current research demonstrating the harmful effects of fluoride, it’s difficult to understand why a company (DS Waters of America Inc.) would actually market bottled water for children containing this toxin.
Nursery®, for infants, actually advertises on the label that it has “added fluoride”! The company goes on to state, “If you make the choice not to breastfeed, you can still give your baby all the nutrients he/she needs with commercial formula.”
Testing for Fluoride Poisoning
In a medical laboratory, technicians can measure blood levels for the amount of calcium and potassium. Both hypocalcaemia (too little calcium) and hyperkalemia (too much potassium) can indicate that a patient has been exposed to an excessive amount of fluoride.
Our children are being poisoned and they don’t even know it. Yet so many parents do not even bother researching what they feed to their kids. Twenty years from now, when all of these substances have been banned as cancer-causing agents, many adults will be asking, “Mom, Dad, Why did you feed me all of these toxic chemicals?” What will you say to your child? “Sorry, the manufacturer said it was OK”?
The Good News:
The body can handle an input of less than 1 ppm. At this level of consumption, the body can maintain an equilibrium. Above this, the body cannot manage extra fluoride. Why is this good news? because if your water is being supplied at levels like Sydney water (recommended 0.6 to 1.1), a good fluoride filter system that reduces the level below 1 ppm will support your body’s equilibrium.
References:
- Fluoride Action Network. Dental Fluorosis.
- Schellenberg D, Marks TA, Metzler CM, Oostveen JA, Morey MJ. Lack of effect of fluoride on reproductive performance and development in Shetland sheepdogs. Vet Hum Toxicol. 1990 Aug;32(4):309-14. Erratum in: Vet Hum Toxicol 1990 Dec;32(6):527.
- Fluoride Action Network. Gastrointestinal.
- Martijn W. H. Pinkse, Maarten Merkx, Bruce A. Averill. Fluoride Inhibition of Bovine Spleen Purple Acid Phosphatase: Characterization of a Ternary Enzyme−Phosphate−Fluoride Complex as a Model for the Active Enzyme−Substrate−Hydroxide Complex. Biochemistry. 1999 July 20. 38 (31), pp 9926–9936 DOI: 10.1021/bi990446w
- Michael Connett, Tara Blank PhD. Fluoride & Intelligence: The 36 Studies. Fluoride Action Network. 2012 December 9.
- Fluoride Action Network. Water Fluoridation.
