Fluoride, Are You Getting Too Much?
Fluoride in Drinking Water May Be a Mistake
Read the warning label on your toothpaste.October, 2006 by Surfer Sam
Fluoride is added to drinking water and toothpaste to prevent tooth decay. Since fluoride was first introduced into drinking water, our consumption of fluoride has increased considerably. You and your children may be ingesting more fluoride than you realize.
The jury is still weighing the benefits of fluoride against its risks. No one questions that fluoride has significantly reduced tooth decay. No one questions that too much fluoride is a health risk. The concern today is whether the risks of fluoride use are completely known, and whether those risks justify the benefits of reduced tooth decay. Some researchers say, “Fluoridation could turn out to be one of the top 10 mistakes of the 20th century.” On the other hand, the Center for Disease control said that the fluoridation of community water was one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century.
Fluoride is a Poison
Did you know that only 2/3 of U.S. cities and towns add fluoride to their drinking water. The other 1/3 of all cities and towns oppose the use of fluoride. About 60% of all public drinking water is fluoridated.
There are serious health risks from water fluoridation. Too much fluoride can actually damage tooth enamel and cause dental fluorosis, which is the yellowing and mottling of tooth enamel. Excessive use of fluoride has also been linked to bone cancer, lower IQ and osteoporosis. Adverse thyroid functioning is also linked to fluoride.
Have you read the warning label on every tube of fluoridated toothpaste? It says: "Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than is used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away." If you use fluoride toothpaste, teach your children to use only a pea-sized amount and never to swallow it.
Fluoride is a poison. In high concentration, forms of fluoride are used to kill rats and crop-eating insects. City employees who work with water fluoridation must wear protective clothing and respirators. Long-term exposure to fluoride causes bone disease, skin lesions and death.
Most cities do not use pharmaceutical grade sodium fluoride in their drinking water. They use instead hydrofluorosilicic acid (or its salt). This is concentrated directly from the smokestack scrubbers during the production of phosphate fertilizer. It is shipped to water treatment plants and trickled directly into the drinking water. It is an industrial grade fluoride and it is contaminated with trace amounts of heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and radium. Many scientist feel that these heavy metals are also harmful to humans at the levels that are being added to fluoridate the drinking water. In addition, using hydrofluorosilicic acid has an added risk of increasing lead accumulation in children.
Which works better: fluoride in drinking water or fluoride in toothpaste?
Fluoride in drinking water was successful in reducing cavities, often by 70% over a span of 15 years. However, when the decision was made to add fluoride to drinking water, fluoride toothpaste was not available. Scientists now know that fluoride does not have to be ingested to prevent cavities. They believe that fluoride works as well when it is applied directly to the teeth, as in toothpaste. The use of fluoride in drinking water is only slightly more successful than use of fluoridated toothpaste alone. In the drinking water, it accounts for 18% less tooth decay in children, which represents ½ of a cavity.
Fluoride serves no known nutritional purpose and is not required for human growth.
The EPA Sets Standards for Fluoride Exposure
The Environmental Protection Agency says that the maximum limit for safe exposure to fluoride is 4 mg/L, which is 4 parts per million. The recommended use of fluoride in water depends on the climate. In warm weather the fluoride limit is lower, because people drink more water. The fluoride limit averages about 1mg/L, which is 1 part per million.
Does your drinking water exceed that standard of 1part per million? Check your city at the Center for Disease Control voluntary database. http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov If the fluoride in your city drinking water is more than 2 parts per million, it is recommended that you find an alternate source of water for your children.
Distilled water contains no fluoride. Reverse-osmosis filters will remove most of the fluoride from your tap water. However, many other household water filters do not remove fluoride.
Are your children getting too much fluoride?
There are many sources of fluoride in our diet. Fruits and vegetables naturally contain some fluoride, depending on the level in the soil where they grow. Because fruits and vegetables are also processed with fluoridated water, their fluoride levels have increased.
Fluoride is in the teeth and bones of fish and animals. Processed food containing fish bones and chicken bones is high in fluoride. The chicken in baby food that has been mechanically boned contains bone dust and is thus high in fluoride. A single serving of chicken sticks alone would provide about half of a child's upper limit of safety for fluoride. Baby food made from chicken has over 4ppm of fluoride.
Beverages, such as soda pop, fruit juice, beer and wine, also contain fluoride. Grape juice, for example, has 2.4ppm fluoride. Some instant tea contains 6.5ppm of fluoride, well over the 4.0ppm recommended maximum. You can find more data on the presence of fluoride in common foods and beverages at http://www.fluoridealert.org/f-concentrations.data.htm
Pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables contain fluoride. However, organic fruits and vegetables are grown with a minimum of such pesticides. Whenever possible, use organic fruits and vegetables to reduce fluoride intake.
It is important to prepare powdered baby formula with non-fluoridated water.
Fluoride pills and drops are generally felt to be an unnecessary risk, although they are often prescribed for children who live in communities with non-fluoridated water.
In conclusion, there are valid concerns that the fluoridation of drinking water is more harmful than beneficial.
-----The Happiness Coach
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