USA - Fluoride pioneer Grand Rapids rethinks safety of putting chemical in water
Fluoridated water: Maybe not so good after all?
Posted by jeyer June 10, 2008 12:49PM
Interesting: Fluoride pioneer Grand Rapids rethinks safety of putting chemical in water
Will the city that became the first in the world to fluoridate its drinking water decide to discontinue use of the chemical?
Grand Rapids has been fluoridating its tap water since 1945, but now some city officials say they're studying the question because of increased concerns over the potential long-term effects of exposure to what some consider a toxic chemical.
Corky Overmyer, the city's director of sustainability, said officials are working with scientists at Grand Valley State University and other water quality specialists to determine whether to continue adding fluoride to the city's water supply.
... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls fluoridation safe and effective for preventing tooth decay and identified the process as one of the 10 great health advancements of the 20th century.
Opponents of fluoridation have said the chemical can be toxic, and some evidence shows it might cause weak bones, thyroid problems, bone cancer and other problems. Malfunctioning fluoridation systems in some cities have poisoned residents, they contend.
I've read some pretty compelling arguments against water fluoridation, such as this one from the Environmental Working Group: National Academy Calls for Lowering Fluoride Limits in Tap Water
A new report from the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concludes that the current allowable level of fluoride in tap water is not protective of the public health and should be lowered, citing serious concerns about bone fractures and dental fluorosis, a discoloration and weakening of the enamel of the teeth that the committee noted is associated with other adverse health impacts.
The NAS report puts concerns about the safety of fluoride in tap water squarely in the mainstream of scientific thought. The committee called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reevaluate and tighten current safety standards in light of these concerns.
In just one example of the potential health risks from water fluoridation, the committee cited concerns about the potential of fluoride to lower IQ, noting on page six of the report that the "consistency of study results appears significant enough to warrant additional research on the effects of fluoride on intelligence." IQ deficits, the committee noted, have been strongly associated with dental fluorosis, a condition caused by fluoride in tap water (NAS pg 175).
The committee's findings support Environmental Working Group's (EWG's) recommendation that fluoride exposure should be limited to toothpaste, where it provides the greatest dental benefit and presents the lowest overall health risk.
EWG analysis shows infants overexposed
A new EWG analysis of fluoride exposure to bottle-fed babies supports the concerns the NAS committee raised.
EWG's analysis shows that in 25 of the 28 largest cities in the U.S., fluoride levels in tap water alone will put 8 to 36 percent of all babies up to 6 months of age over the safe dose of fluoride on any given day. "These elevated early life exposures put children at risk for precisely the health problems that the NAS committee is concerned about," said Dr. Tim Kropp, toxicologist and senior scientist at EWG.
The safe dose for fluoride in the EWG assessment is the 0.7 milligrams per day dose developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the NAS in 2004 (IOM 2004). This dose applies specifically to children under 6 months of age, and has not been officially adopted by the EPA.
... Although these rates of elevated infant exposure may appear high, they track quite well with the strongest clinical evidence of over-fluoridation, the incidence of dental fluorosis in children. Dental fluorosis is a scarring, mottling and weakening of the tooth enamel that is caused by fluoride exposures during tooth formation that occurs from birth through age 6.
The NHANES survey from 1999-2002 found an overall dental fluorosis rate of 32 percent among U.S. school children aged 6 to 19 years old (CDC 2005a, CDC 2005b).
Dentists and public health officials generally agree that fluoride in tap water is the cause of the high rates of fluorosis in children. The NAS report released today concluded that fluorosis is associated with a number of adverse health effects, including IQ deficits.
Like bones, a child's teeth are alive and growing. Flourosis is the result of fluoride rearranging the crystalline structure of a tooth's enamel as it is still growing. It is evidence of fluoride's potency and ability to cause physiologic changes within the body, and raises concerns about similar damage that may be occurring in the bones.
If Grand Rapids is rethinking fluoridating its water, surely Ann Arbor won't be far behind. I think if there's any doubt whatsoever about the safety of fluoride, they should stop adding it to the water system. In looking at the most recent Ann Arbor water quality report available online (from 2006), it looks like Ann Arbor keeps fluoridation levels on the low side, at 1.13 mg/l, rather than the maximum 4 mg/l, the level at which the NAS says causes dental fluorosis in a large percentage of children.
Posted by jeyer June 10, 2008 12:49PM
Interesting: Fluoride pioneer Grand Rapids rethinks safety of putting chemical in water
Will the city that became the first in the world to fluoridate its drinking water decide to discontinue use of the chemical?
Grand Rapids has been fluoridating its tap water since 1945, but now some city officials say they're studying the question because of increased concerns over the potential long-term effects of exposure to what some consider a toxic chemical.
Corky Overmyer, the city's director of sustainability, said officials are working with scientists at Grand Valley State University and other water quality specialists to determine whether to continue adding fluoride to the city's water supply.
... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls fluoridation safe and effective for preventing tooth decay and identified the process as one of the 10 great health advancements of the 20th century.
Opponents of fluoridation have said the chemical can be toxic, and some evidence shows it might cause weak bones, thyroid problems, bone cancer and other problems. Malfunctioning fluoridation systems in some cities have poisoned residents, they contend.
I've read some pretty compelling arguments against water fluoridation, such as this one from the Environmental Working Group: National Academy Calls for Lowering Fluoride Limits in Tap Water
A new report from the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concludes that the current allowable level of fluoride in tap water is not protective of the public health and should be lowered, citing serious concerns about bone fractures and dental fluorosis, a discoloration and weakening of the enamel of the teeth that the committee noted is associated with other adverse health impacts.
The NAS report puts concerns about the safety of fluoride in tap water squarely in the mainstream of scientific thought. The committee called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reevaluate and tighten current safety standards in light of these concerns.
In just one example of the potential health risks from water fluoridation, the committee cited concerns about the potential of fluoride to lower IQ, noting on page six of the report that the "consistency of study results appears significant enough to warrant additional research on the effects of fluoride on intelligence." IQ deficits, the committee noted, have been strongly associated with dental fluorosis, a condition caused by fluoride in tap water (NAS pg 175).
The committee's findings support Environmental Working Group's (EWG's) recommendation that fluoride exposure should be limited to toothpaste, where it provides the greatest dental benefit and presents the lowest overall health risk.
EWG analysis shows infants overexposed
A new EWG analysis of fluoride exposure to bottle-fed babies supports the concerns the NAS committee raised.
EWG's analysis shows that in 25 of the 28 largest cities in the U.S., fluoride levels in tap water alone will put 8 to 36 percent of all babies up to 6 months of age over the safe dose of fluoride on any given day. "These elevated early life exposures put children at risk for precisely the health problems that the NAS committee is concerned about," said Dr. Tim Kropp, toxicologist and senior scientist at EWG.
The safe dose for fluoride in the EWG assessment is the 0.7 milligrams per day dose developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the NAS in 2004 (IOM 2004). This dose applies specifically to children under 6 months of age, and has not been officially adopted by the EPA.
... Although these rates of elevated infant exposure may appear high, they track quite well with the strongest clinical evidence of over-fluoridation, the incidence of dental fluorosis in children. Dental fluorosis is a scarring, mottling and weakening of the tooth enamel that is caused by fluoride exposures during tooth formation that occurs from birth through age 6.
The NHANES survey from 1999-2002 found an overall dental fluorosis rate of 32 percent among U.S. school children aged 6 to 19 years old (CDC 2005a, CDC 2005b).
Dentists and public health officials generally agree that fluoride in tap water is the cause of the high rates of fluorosis in children. The NAS report released today concluded that fluorosis is associated with a number of adverse health effects, including IQ deficits.
Like bones, a child's teeth are alive and growing. Flourosis is the result of fluoride rearranging the crystalline structure of a tooth's enamel as it is still growing. It is evidence of fluoride's potency and ability to cause physiologic changes within the body, and raises concerns about similar damage that may be occurring in the bones.
If Grand Rapids is rethinking fluoridating its water, surely Ann Arbor won't be far behind. I think if there's any doubt whatsoever about the safety of fluoride, they should stop adding it to the water system. In looking at the most recent Ann Arbor water quality report available online (from 2006), it looks like Ann Arbor keeps fluoridation levels on the low side, at 1.13 mg/l, rather than the maximum 4 mg/l, the level at which the NAS says causes dental fluorosis in a large percentage of children.
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