"Fluorides" Biological Impacts

Allergic reaction immediately after shower in fluoridated tapwater

"The American Medical Association is NOT prepared to state that no harm will be done to any person by water fluoridation. The AMA has not carried out any research work, either long-term or short-term, regarding the possibility of any side effects."
- Dr. Flanagan, Assistant Director of Environmental Health, American Medical Association.

FLuoride effects

Age-Specific Fluoride Exposure and Osteosarcoma (The Bassin Report) 2006

NRC Review-fluoride health effects 2006

NRC Critical Review

Fluoride Poisoning and Toxicology 1957

Fluoride Poisoning and Toxicology 2005

Some say fluoride works best on the smooth surfaces of teeth but that is not where most cavities occur.

What are the documented health effects from ingesting water to which industrial water fluoridation substances?

NRDC REVIEWS Fall 2004 Journalists and watchdog groups regularly raise hell about just the sort of industry corruption of public health policy described in The Fluoride Deception. We don't brand the watchdogs as conspiracy theorists; we thank them for doing their job. After reading Bryson's account of our national infatuation with fluoride, it's hard not to wonder how we could have ignored so serious an issue for so long. Scientists are beginning to realize that the cumulative effect of small doses of fluoride may already be taking a toll on human health. Studies of the elderly indicate that long-term exposure correlates with increased hip fracture; not only does the United States have one of the highest rates of hip fracture in the world, but it also has the longest history of artificial water fluoridation. The rise in Alzheimer's disease may also be rooted in excessive fluoride consumption, as may the increasing incidence of neurological conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. One scientist told Bryson: "I think we are going to see a lot more neurological problems that currently have no answers." If that's true, Americans could be staring down the barrel of a very long shotgun. Conspiracy theory or not, we need to start asking more questions."

In Toronto vs Forest Hill, a provincial law allowed municipal corporations to treat public water supplies so as to make vended water 'pure and wholesome' Justice Ivan Rand construed this statute strictly, so as to disallow fluoridation.

"But it is not to promote the ordinary use of water as a physical requisite for the body that fluoridation is proposed. That process has a distinct and different purpose; it is not a means to an end of wholesome water for water's function but to an end of a special health purpose for which water supply is made use of as a means."

The same distiction appears in the Safe Drinking Water Act, which states, "No national primary drinking water regulation may require the addition of any substance for preventative health care purposes unrelated to contamination of drinking water."

Some suggest public water fluoridation is a form of mass medication.

• Prior to the 2000 vote, the Davis County Board of Health prepared a brochure entitled Fluoridation Facts “Opponents say fluoride is a medicine and we will have mass medication. Fact: Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, not a medicine or a drug. Water fluoridation merely adjusts the natural level of fluoride which is already present in the water.

Prior to the 2000 vote, The Salt Lake County Health Department prepared the following website. The Very Best of 101 Fluoride Questions The following question is taken from the website

Is water fluoridation a form of mass medication?

No. Fluoride is the 13th most abundant element in the earth's crust and also in the human body. It is present in small and varying amounts in all soils, plants, animals, air and water supplies. Fluoride occurs naturally in varying amounts in surface water (oceans and lakes) and in groundwater. Because of this, our diet contains fluoride and it is then deposited in our teeth and bones. Fluoride is considered a beneficial nutrient based on its proven effects on dental health.

The 2004 Utah Department of Health Statement on Community Water Fluoridation states the nationwide goal to prevent cavities through community water fluoridation is similar to previous public health efforts to prevent common health problems..an additive is provided to everyone..since it is impossible to individually identify and effectively treat the significant number of people who are at risk. As a result of these programs, thousands of cases of illness, disability and death are prevented each year with no harm to the rest of the population.

The FDA, the organization that regulates medicines and additives, has never approved industrial-grade fluoridation chemicals for human consumption. • A policy statement from the FDA states “Fluoride when used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease in man or animal, is a drug that is subject to FDA regulation. No New Drug Applications have ever been approved or rejected for fluoride drugs meant for ingestion.”

Fluoride has not been listed as an essential nutrient. “First, let us reassure you with regard to one concern. Nowhere in the report is it stated that fluoride is an essential nutrient. If any speaker or panel member at the September 23rd workshop referred to fluoride as such, they misspoke. As was stated in Recommended Dietary Allowances 10th Edition, which we published in 1989: "These contradictory results do not justify a classification of fluoride as an essential element, according to accepted standards." Dr. Vernon Young, Chair of the Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes

Some say fluoridation raises ethical questions, that unlicensed medicinal substances, administered to large populations without informed consent or supervision by a qualified medical practitioner is a violation of medical ethics and human rights.

The US Department of Health and Human Services states “Existing data indicate that [some people] may be unusually susceptible to the toxic effects of fluorine and its compounds.” Some people suggest the practice of fluoridating public water supplies could place the elderly at increased risk of hip fractures. Some believe fluoride is contraindicated for individuals with thyroid problems. Some say those with kidney (renal) dysfunction should avoid fluorides.

According to UNICEF, The latest information shows that fluorosis is endemic in at least 25 countries across the globe.

South Africa Council for Scientific and Industrial Research warned August 25 2004 about plans to add fluoride to South Africa's drinking water, saying it posed a possible health risk to people with HIV and Aids, as well as those suffering from malnutrition.

The American Journal of Epidemiology and others suggest that fluoride increases the risk of hip fractures among women.

Dr Phyllis Mullinex reported fluoride a neurotoxin . Her studies conclude that the amount ingested is not so important as the amount that is found in the blood plasma and in the blood plasma, fluorides are more toxic than lead.

Some feel fluorides are general protoplasmic poisons.

The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) is a joint venture of the United Nations Environment Programme the International Labour Organisation, and the World Health Organization outlines a number of concerns relating to fluorides.The main objective of the IPCS is to carry out and disseminate evaluations of the effects of chemicals on human health and the quality of the environment. Among other things, they state, "Patients with kidney dysfunction may be particularly susceptible to fluoride toxicity.

Professionals say children under the age of 6 months are to have no fluoridated water, either to drink or mixed in their formulas. The suggested fluoride dosage physicans prescribe is significantly lower that the adjusted level of 1 to 2 ppm hydrofluosilicic acid ('fluoride') found in public water supplies.

As a mother breatfeeds her baby, fluoride passes the breast at .01 parts per million, or 1/100th milligram per litre. If a mother makes a formula using fluoridated tap water, she gives her baby 1 part per million, or 1 milligram per litre of fluorides, 100 times more fluoride than what nature would allow.

The ADA Warned of Fluoride Risk in Baby Food

"Dental and Public health administrators should be aware of the total fluoride exposure in the population before introducing any additional fluoride programme for caries prevention." - World Health Organization. (1994). Fluorides and Oral Health. WHO Technical Report Series 846. "Estimation of the amount of fluoride ingested from all environmental and dietary sources is important so that rational and scientifically sound decisions can be made when guidelines for the use of fluorides are reviewed periodically and modified." - Pang D, et al. (1992). Fluoride intake from beverage consumption ina sample of North Carolina children. Journal of Dental Research 71: 1382-1388.

There is little information to characterize the dose–response relationships for the different adverse effects. In particular, there are few data on total exposure, particularly with respect to intake and fluoride absorption.

Are we getting fluoride from other sources?

Virtually every food contains at least some fluoride. Plants take it up from the soil and from the air. From the soil, fluoride is transmitted through fine hair rootlets into the stems, and some reaches the leaves. Plants absorb more fluoride from sandy than from clay soil and more from wet and acid soils than from dry and alkaline ones...

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), "Fresh or unprocessed foods available in the U.S. have fluoride concentrations that generally range from 0.02 to 2.00 ppm. Marine fish that are consumed with bones and bone meal supplements have been shown to be a rich source of fluoride in human food…The bones of some land-based animals also contain high levels of fluoride...its everywhere.

When determining dose, are we considering weight of the consumer as well as the total exposure?

The Health Department asserts fluoride is a beneficial additive with the only risk, dental fluorosis or mild tooth mottling.

What happens when too much is ingested? How much fluoride will cause adverse reactions? That is at the heart of the question. How much is too much?

What is the policy in regards to overfeeds? What about an overfeed of the fluoridation chemical? How much is too much?

There are news reports stating dental crisis in cities long fluoridated.

Reputable organizations along with scientists or other professionals either take no position or have withdrawn their support of the practice.

The 2004 Utah Department of Health Statement on Community Water Fluoridation also states "Utah adults have dental restorations and decay at a rate that is above the national average. Only 51% of Utah citizens are serviced by community water systems with optimal levels of fluoride."

According to the CDC report, entitled Public Health and Aging: Retention of Natural Teeth Among Older Adults, it is reported that Utah ranks number one in the nation for elderly people with the most number of teeth and that data taken in 2000, when Utah had less than 2% of its water supplies artificially fluoridated.

"To date, there is no scientific evidence that exposure to fluoride at the levels found in optimally fluoridated water present any risk for the development of any disease processes." Published on the SLVHD Website

The SLVHD concedes they have no safety studies.

Are there health risks? Depends on who you ask.