97% of Western Europe has chosen fluoride-free water. Water fluoridation’s benefits to teeth have been exaggerated. No statistical difference exists in tooth decay between fluoridated & unfluoridated countries. Fluoride is the only chemical added to drinking water for the purpose of medicating the public.
Contrary to belief, fluoride has minimal benefit when swallowed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, fluoride's "predominant effect is topical". Many people are being over-exposed to fluoride. Children can ingest more fluoride from toothpaste alone than is recommended as a “safe amount”. Fluoridated water is no longer recommended for babies. According to a recent review published in the medical journal The Lancet, fluoride may damage the developing brain, causing learning deficits and other problems.
Ingestion of fluoride has little benefit, but many risks. Whereas fluoride's benefits come from topical contact with teeth, its risks to health (which involve many more tissues than the teeth) result from being swallowed. Adverse effects from fluoride ingestion have been associated with doses atttainable by people living in fluoridated areas. For example:
a) Risk to the brain. According to the National Research Council (NRC), fluoride can damage the brain. Animal studies conducted in the 1990s by EPA scientists found dementia-like effects at the same concentration (1 ppm) used to fluoridate water, while human studies have found adverse effects on IQ at levels as low as 0.9 ppm.
b) Risk to the thyroid gland. According to the NRC, fluoride is an “endocrine disrupter.” Most notably, the NRC has warned that doses of fluoride (0.01-0.03 mg/kg/day) achievable by drinking fluoridated water, may reduce the function of the thyroid among individuals with low-iodine intake. Reduction of thyroid activity can lead to loss of mental acuity, depression and weight gain.
c) Risk to bones. According to the NRC, fluoride can diminish bone strength and increase the risk for bone fracture.
d) Risk for bone cancer. Animal and human studies – including a recent study from a team of Harvard scientists – have found a connection between fluoride and a serious form of bone cancer (osteosarcoma).
e) Risk to kidney patients. People with kidney disease have a heightened susceptibility to fluoride toxicity. The heightened risk stems from an impaired ability to excrete fluoride from the body.
Some words of advice… do not simply trust what many in the dental profession still promote, investigate how to eliminate fluoride from your water, and find toothpaste that does not contain fluoride. The Sunflower Market, or most health food stores will have a fluoride free toothpaste. We use the brand “Kiss My Face” in our household, and its actually pretty good stuff! The key here, as with most things, is to minimize the bad stuff and maximize the good stuff when it comes to health and disease. You can do it, and it’s worth the effort!
Speak up and educate others,
