USA Infformed letter
Fluoride should be a concern
I live in central Florida, where most of the fluoridation agents are a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. My family ran an archaeological and paleontological society and dug for fossils in the area known as "Bone Valley" for prehistoric animals — mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed tigers, giant armadillos, etc. When we found out that there was pollution including radionuclides, we stopped our digs.
In my book, "The Geology of Florida" (1997, University Press of Florida), Page 143 notes in this paragraph: "In addition to uranium, fluorine is an economic byproduct of phosphoric-acid production. The fluorine from the rock reacts with silica to form SiF4 gas. During acid production, this gas is recovered as fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) in wet scrubbers that are part of the environmental protection equipment. Fluorosilicic acid is widely used in the preparation of chemical compounds and in the treatment of public drinking water."
The Pinellas County Health Department utilities division sent me the American Water Works Association standard, "AWWA Standard for Hydrofluosilicic Acid B703-89" (1989). The foreword gave the same source and process as my geology book, but noted concerns that arsenic and lead were problems. These standards are updated usually every five years and I continued to receive them, and the 1994 issue changed the name to the internationally known one, fluorosilicic acid. This year, a new one that is far more informative is available from the local county utilities department: "AWWA Standard for Fluorosilicic Acid B703-06." The foreword adds a sentence: "The transfer of contaminants from chemicals to processed water or the residual solids is becoming a problem of greater concern."
Then, Page 8 lists an entire page of "contaminants" starting with arsenic, lead, beryllium and cadmium, down to "radionuclides" as uranium and radium 226-228.
In November, our newspaper, The Tampa Tribune, had two obituaries, a week apart, of young boys dying from osteosarcoma, the formerly rare cancer that is now escalating. Another Tampa Tribune article from May 22, 1997, "Teen's positive attitude carries through cancer," says it was osteosarcoma, and his leg was amputated. And he visited another child in the hospital who was suffering from the same cancer.
So I wonder how your editorial might have read had it been your son who died or had his leg amputated.
ANITA KNIGHT
St. Peterburg, Fla.
I live in central Florida, where most of the fluoridation agents are a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. My family ran an archaeological and paleontological society and dug for fossils in the area known as "Bone Valley" for prehistoric animals — mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed tigers, giant armadillos, etc. When we found out that there was pollution including radionuclides, we stopped our digs.
In my book, "The Geology of Florida" (1997, University Press of Florida), Page 143 notes in this paragraph: "In addition to uranium, fluorine is an economic byproduct of phosphoric-acid production. The fluorine from the rock reacts with silica to form SiF4 gas. During acid production, this gas is recovered as fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) in wet scrubbers that are part of the environmental protection equipment. Fluorosilicic acid is widely used in the preparation of chemical compounds and in the treatment of public drinking water."
The Pinellas County Health Department utilities division sent me the American Water Works Association standard, "AWWA Standard for Hydrofluosilicic Acid B703-89" (1989). The foreword gave the same source and process as my geology book, but noted concerns that arsenic and lead were problems. These standards are updated usually every five years and I continued to receive them, and the 1994 issue changed the name to the internationally known one, fluorosilicic acid. This year, a new one that is far more informative is available from the local county utilities department: "AWWA Standard for Fluorosilicic Acid B703-06." The foreword adds a sentence: "The transfer of contaminants from chemicals to processed water or the residual solids is becoming a problem of greater concern."
Then, Page 8 lists an entire page of "contaminants" starting with arsenic, lead, beryllium and cadmium, down to "radionuclides" as uranium and radium 226-228.
In November, our newspaper, The Tampa Tribune, had two obituaries, a week apart, of young boys dying from osteosarcoma, the formerly rare cancer that is now escalating. Another Tampa Tribune article from May 22, 1997, "Teen's positive attitude carries through cancer," says it was osteosarcoma, and his leg was amputated. And he visited another child in the hospital who was suffering from the same cancer.
So I wonder how your editorial might have read had it been your son who died or had his leg amputated.
ANITA KNIGHT
St. Peterburg, Fla.
posted by Bill at
1:18 PM
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