USA - Fluorides in the water do more harm than good: Ron Greinke (Opinion)

Ron Greinke is a member of the Fluoride Action Network
This summer, newspapers in northern Ohio have often reported microcystin contamination in our precious Lake Erie. Microcystin, released by blue-green algae, is a liver toxin. Our water is being monitored. If the microcystin concentrations reach only 0.3 ppb (parts per billion) in our tap water, "Do not drink" warnings will be issued for "pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children, and people with impaired kidney function on dialysis."

The Material Safety Data Sheet for microcystin LR, a white powder, issued by Beagle Bioproducts Inc., reports that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s health hazard rating for this chemical is a "4," which means "dangerous."

Based on the reported harms of microcystin, the U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency has issued a margin of safety factor of 1,000 to protect us. (The margin of safety for a toxin is defined as the dose or concentration that causes harm divided by the maximum dose or concentration that one is allowed to consume.)

Now let's compare microcystin with fluoride, intentionally added to Cleveland's tap water because of an obsolete 20th-century Ohio law. One fluoride-containing chemical -- collected from phosphate fertilizer factories' scrubbing systems and subsequently added to Cleveland's drinking water -- is silicon tetrafluoride. The Material Safety Data Sheet, issued by Voltaix, states that the gas silicon tetrafluoride's NFPA health hazard rating is a "4," identical to that of microcystin. This MSDS also states that silicon tetrafluoride reacts with water "to form other corrosive, toxic substances." Linde Gas' Material Safety Data Sheet for silicon tetrafluoride, a compressed gas, concludes it is corrosive to all living tissue.

Fluoride has been labeled a developmental neurotoxin, as supported by substantial evidence.

Time Magazine, in its April 10, 2010, issue, included fluoride in its "Top Ten Common Household Toxins." Chinese scientists warn pregnant women about the neurological harms of fluoride to the unborn. Worldwide, 44 studies currently have demonstrated that modest amounts of ingested fluoride result in a significant lowering of children's IQ's..............................