The Dangers of Fluoride

The Dangers of Fluoride

by Sanjay B

While the dangers of fluoride are not universally understood or even accepted, it has been by and large abolished in continental Europe other than Ireland and the UK.  Even in the UK fluoridation of public water supplies is limited to just a very few local authorities, the vast majority having abolished it because of worries about fluoride poisoning.

There is obviously a reason for this, although no review of the dangers of fluoride in drinking water would be proper without a discussion of both sides of the argument. This is presented below, although not all claims have properly reported references available since neither side have much scientific evidence to offer.

The Benefits of Fluoride: Arguments For Water Fluoridation

  • The fluoridation of water was regarded by the U.S. Center for Disease Control as a ‘top medical achievement'[1] ranked ahead of recognizing the use of tobacco as a health hazard [2]. It has been regarded as the most beneficial and cost-effective means of preventing tooth decay.
  • Fluoridation has been hailed by the WHO as being an effective method of preventing tooth decay in deprived areas, although the same organization stated that In some developed countries, the health and economic benefits of fluoridation may be small”[3]. This might be a valid argument for enforced fluoridation in underdeveloped countries, but it doesn’t appear to hold water as a valid reason for enforced medication in the USA or Europe.
  • Health Canada also supports enforced medication with fluoride, stressing the various international reviews supporting its use without offering a balanced view as to the dangers of fluoride addition to drinking water. The three forms of fluoride added to drinking water are sodium fluoride, fluorosilicic acid, and sodium fluorosilicate.

Those trying to steer clear of sodium by using ‘Low Salt’ formed largely of potassium chloride, now find themselves forced in some cases to take sodium through their drinking water. It may be a small amount, certainly, but should they not have the option or is enforced medication a policy taken on by governments without our permission?

The Dangers of Fluoride: Arguments Against Fluoridation

The arguments FOR appear to be based on technical reports that do not have universal acceptance, and those AGAINST are likely the same. That being the case, should neglecting the potential dangers of fluoride be a decision for governments to take on our behalf, or for us to take ourselves?  Let’s have a look at the ‘antis’, and you can decide for yourself.

Is Fluoride a Poison? Fluoride is technically poisonous, and weight for weight, more poisonous to humans than lead. In fact, arsenic is slightly more poisonous than fluoride, but it is all a matter of concentration. No matter how much we may disagree with our masters, governments and states will not deliberately poison their populations! We should therefore accept that at the levels added to our drinking water, fluoride is not poisonous.

Sensitization to Fluoride: Sensitization is another situation entirely. Some that are sensitized to fluoride can be affected by the smallest amounts, and reported conditions have been urticaria, atopic dermatitis and eczema. There are others, and in many cases these reactions have ceased once the patient has been removed from the fluoride source [4]

Hip Fractures: The American Medical Association reported three cases of hip fractures linked to fluoride in water supplies in its journal that occurred from 1990-92.  The Mayo Clinic has been said to have reported an increase in hip fractures and fragility of bone density through treatment of osteoporosis with fluorides.

Enzyme Inhibition: There have been reports of the inhibition of certain enzymes that are damaging to your immune system. This leads to an increase in arthritis and lack of flexibility in soft tissues.

Dental Fluorosis: In some cases, children given fluoride as a supplement have suffered brown spots in their teeth known as dental fluorosis. A report published by the Subcommittee on Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride of the National Research Council admitted in 1993 that between 8% and 51% of children in fluoridated regions of the USA suffered dental fluorosis. It was established that malnourished children are at greater risk [5].

Fluoride and Cancer: Of particular concern is the relationship between water fluoridation and cancer. Although fluoride is a known mutagenic and carcinogen in large quantities, new evidence is emerging indicating that young males are susceptible to a form of bone cancer known as osteosarcoma at fluoride concentrations commonly found in fluoridated drinking water. This has been reported during a study into the benefits and dangers of fluoridation by the Harvard School of Dental Health [6].

It is not yet understood why this should be restricted to young males, although about half the fluoride ingested is absorbed by the human body:  in the teeth, pineal gland and the bones, with around 90% being stored in the bones. Osteosarcoma has only a 50% survival rate, with survivors generally losing one or more limbs.

While these negatives have been reported, they are not universal, and you may take them as either general consequences of fluoridation or as incidental occurrences. However, the dangers of fluoride do not appear to have been properly researched and that big business has once again held sway over common sense and the common good.

So what is the answer? Is fluoridation good for the dental health of yourself and your family or is it not. There appears to be good cases made by each side of the argument, and without any clear indication of which is correct, one way or another, is it right that fluoridation should be enforced?

The fact is that that most of Europe and the UK have decided to terminate their original fluoridation trials, and very few unitary authorities within the UK now permit fluoridation of their water supplies. Most western European countries have banned it altogether, and it is only the USA and Canada that applies it universally. This perhaps should tell us something

Industry has less of a say in local and national government policy in these countries than in the USA. However, whether or not you believe that fluoride is a good or a bad thing to be included in your drinking water, you should check out these references and make your own mind up about the dangers of fluoride rather than believe what the relevant camps tell you. This is not to suggest that either is deliberately lying to you, just that some of the research can be taken in both ways, as you will find if you any of the references provided below.

The dangers of fluoride have been clearly laid out, although it is evident that insufficient research has been carried out in order for a definitive decision to be made.  That being the case, perhaps it is wrong for governments and even local authorities to make their own decisions and enforce them on us. Or perhaps not! You should decide, although the results of recent studies are very worrying.

To finish, It was quoted in Sutton’s ‘Fluoridation: The Greatest Fraud‘ that

“Fluoridation is the greatest fraud that has ever been perpetrated and it has been perpetrated on more people than any other fraud has.” And also in Low-Level Fluoridation And Low-Level Radiation Two Case Histories Of Misconduct In Science’:[7]

“Fluoridation, is a major environmental pollutant [8] which along with many other chemicals is now a major part of the threat to our survival.”

Who made each of these statements?  No less than Albert Schatz, PhD Microbiology, a Nobel Laureate for the discovery of antibiotic Streptomycin that finally cured Tuberculosis. The dangers of fluoride may or may not be overstated, but many eminent people are against it as well as for it. It makes you think – doesn’t it?

References:

1.  Ten Great Public Health Achievements:  United States, 1900-1999 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056796.htm

2.  Division of Oral Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC. Achievements in public health, 1900–1999: Fluoridation of drinking water to prevent dental caries. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999;48(41):933–40.

3.  http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/oralhealth/en/index2.html

4.  http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/allergy/

5.  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=2204

6.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/jun/12/medicineandhealth.genderissues

7.  http://www.fluoridation.com/schatz.htm

8.  Griffiths, J. Fluoride: Commie plot or capitalist ploy? CovertAction Information Bulletin. No. 42, pages 42-66, 1992.

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