USA - New fluoride findings call for change
New fluoride findings call for change
Rachel Davis, Opinion Editor
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Earlier this year, the American Dental Association admitted that fluoride actually is harmful to infants under the age of one. Can it be that our government is finally starting to recognizeits fallacy in allowing harmful chemicals to be used to treat our drinking water?Fluoride may be effective in preventing cavities, but only when it is used as a topical application. Most of the current evidence for fluoride's health benefits comes from several decades ago when technology was nowhere near what it is today.For more than 50 years, fluoride has been used to treat U.S. water. But surprisingly, studies show there is no difference in tooth decay rates in countries that use fluoridated water compared with those that don't.Ingestion of fluoride does nothing but harm us. Fluoride is used in rat poison, and over 90 percent of the fluoride used in U.S. water systems comes from fertilizer, which may contain traces of lead, mercury and arsenic.On the scale of toxicity, fluorides fall in between lead and arsenic, two highly harmful substances.Ninety percent of the fluoride added to drinking water is hydrofluoric acid, a compound of fluorine that is a chemical byproduct of aluminum, steel and nuclear weapon manufacturing.Studies have shown that fluoride accumulates in bones, making them more brittle and thus more easily fractured.It also confuses the immune system and causes it to attack the body tissues, which can increase growth rate of tumors in people prone to cancer.Fluoride is also linked to Alzheimer's, other forms of memory loss and gastrointestinal problems. Fluoride is also known to cause cell mutation, and 50 percent of ingested fluoride accumulates in your bones.According to the Center for Disease Control, about 32 percent of American children have some level of dental fluorosis, characterized by mottling and pitting of the teeth. And in 1993, the National Research Council found that 84 percent of the population had dental fluorosis in areas where fluoride in the water exceeded 3.7 parts per million. So if your water company adds 3.7 drops of fluoride in every 13 gallons of water, you have an 84 percent chance of developingdental fluorosis.A 1991 study by the U.S. Public Health Service discovered a link between fluoride exposure and bone cancer in boys.Several European countries, including Belgium, France and Ireland, banned the use of fluoride after recognizing these dangers. Only 2 percent of Western Europe drinks fluoridated water compared to over 60 percent of the U.S. population.Our country continues to slowly poison its citizens by allowing the continued use of fluoride and even gives it to children as "nursery water," despite claims from its own Environmental Protection Agency's union, who has taken a strong standagainst fluoride.So what can you do to prevent the ingestion of this harmful chemical? Your local health food store should sell fluoride-free toothpaste, and of course, living in the residence halls presents a problem for using a reverse osmosis water-filtering system.Cooking and digestion don't remove fluoride, so that's not a safe way to get rid of it. Buying spring water is another way to eliminate fluoride from your system, but it can get expensive.You can also write your local representative and get this matter before Congress.E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu
Rachel Davis, Opinion Editor
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Earlier this year, the American Dental Association admitted that fluoride actually is harmful to infants under the age of one. Can it be that our government is finally starting to recognizeits fallacy in allowing harmful chemicals to be used to treat our drinking water?Fluoride may be effective in preventing cavities, but only when it is used as a topical application. Most of the current evidence for fluoride's health benefits comes from several decades ago when technology was nowhere near what it is today.For more than 50 years, fluoride has been used to treat U.S. water. But surprisingly, studies show there is no difference in tooth decay rates in countries that use fluoridated water compared with those that don't.Ingestion of fluoride does nothing but harm us. Fluoride is used in rat poison, and over 90 percent of the fluoride used in U.S. water systems comes from fertilizer, which may contain traces of lead, mercury and arsenic.On the scale of toxicity, fluorides fall in between lead and arsenic, two highly harmful substances.Ninety percent of the fluoride added to drinking water is hydrofluoric acid, a compound of fluorine that is a chemical byproduct of aluminum, steel and nuclear weapon manufacturing.Studies have shown that fluoride accumulates in bones, making them more brittle and thus more easily fractured.It also confuses the immune system and causes it to attack the body tissues, which can increase growth rate of tumors in people prone to cancer.Fluoride is also linked to Alzheimer's, other forms of memory loss and gastrointestinal problems. Fluoride is also known to cause cell mutation, and 50 percent of ingested fluoride accumulates in your bones.According to the Center for Disease Control, about 32 percent of American children have some level of dental fluorosis, characterized by mottling and pitting of the teeth. And in 1993, the National Research Council found that 84 percent of the population had dental fluorosis in areas where fluoride in the water exceeded 3.7 parts per million. So if your water company adds 3.7 drops of fluoride in every 13 gallons of water, you have an 84 percent chance of developingdental fluorosis.A 1991 study by the U.S. Public Health Service discovered a link between fluoride exposure and bone cancer in boys.Several European countries, including Belgium, France and Ireland, banned the use of fluoride after recognizing these dangers. Only 2 percent of Western Europe drinks fluoridated water compared to over 60 percent of the U.S. population.Our country continues to slowly poison its citizens by allowing the continued use of fluoride and even gives it to children as "nursery water," despite claims from its own Environmental Protection Agency's union, who has taken a strong standagainst fluoride.So what can you do to prevent the ingestion of this harmful chemical? Your local health food store should sell fluoride-free toothpaste, and of course, living in the residence halls presents a problem for using a reverse osmosis water-filtering system.Cooking and digestion don't remove fluoride, so that's not a safe way to get rid of it. Buying spring water is another way to eliminate fluoride from your system, but it can get expensive.You can also write your local representative and get this matter before Congress.E-mail Davis at: red04a@acu.edu, optimist@acu.edu
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