102 Fluoride facts, horror stories and cover-ups from bruha.com

The National Academy Of Sciences (NAS) stated in 1977 that, for the average individual, a retention of 2mg fluoride/day would result in crippling skeletal fluorosis after 40 years.



Children, the elderly and any person with impaired kidney function (which includes many AIDS patients), are in the high risk group for fluoride poisoning and must be warned to monitor their fluoride intake. Also at high risk are people with immunodeficiencies, diabetes and heart ailments, as well as anyone with calcium, magnesium and Vitamin C deficiencies.



Studies show that adults can absorb up to 0.5 mg per day of fluoride from toothpaste.



Small children, even if a pea-size amount of toothpaste is used, will absorb up to 0.5 mg of fluoride per day, more if the child is younger and has less swallowing control control. Bubblegum-flavored dentifrice obviously is very inviting for children.



Due to the presence of fluoride, since April 1997 all toothpaste sold in the US must carry a warning label, advising parents what to do if their child swallows more than the pea-size brushing amount.



Wholesale containers of fluoride-containing toothpaste carry the poison symbol of skull and crossbones.



There are NO reliable studies, conducted under ethical research guidelines, that prove the benefits of fluoride supplementation. The FDA admits to this.



There are more than 500 peer-reviewed studies documenting the adverse effects of fluoride, and NONE proving the benefit of it.



Dentists make higher profits in fluoridated areas and through fluoride use! As a result of mottled enamel, many more restorative measures are necessary, such as braces, bridges, etc. For the ADA/CDA, this condition is a real money-maker, because cosmetic dentistry is far more lucrative than cavity repair. In addition, there is an abundance of evidence in the scientific literature that fluoride causes a delay in the normal shedding of the "baby" teeth, and their replacement by permanent teeth. This delay has been shown to increase the number of children with malpositioned teeth. Again, braces are far more expensive than fillings.



The union representing all EPA scientists in Washington has now filed a grievance demanding fluoride-free bottled water for their offices.



A recent University of South Florida study found a relationship between fluoride intake during pregnancy to the yearly 1% increase in learning disabilities found in children.



Studies proving that fluorides transfer through the placenta are well known. Yet Dr.Weil, Internet's Health Guru, advocates fluoride supplements for pregnant woman in his book "8 Weeks To Optimum Health".



There are also several studies linking aluminum with fluoride, showing that the bioavailability of aluminum is increased in the presence of fluorides, causing aluminum in the brain to double in treated animals. According to an October 28, 1992 Wall Street Journal Article about a study conducted by Varnier JA, et al.: "Rats fed the highest doses developed irregular mincing steps characteristic of senile animals... Post mortem examination of the rat brains disclosed 'substantial cell loss in structures associated with dementia -- the neo-cortex and hippocampus'." Similar data was published by Varner, Jansen and others in Brain Research in 1998. (Note: Alzheimer's Disease, first diagnosed by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1907, is now the #4 killer for every person over 60 in the US. Every 2nd person over 70 will develop Alzheimer's.)



The US Public Health Service estimates that 1 in 5 children have dental fluorosis.



All native reservations in the US have mandatory fluoridation, resulting in very high incidents of dental fluorosis in those areas.



Fluorosis affects up to 80% of people in some areas of the US and up to 71% in Canada.



Studies have been conducted directly linking bone tissue damage to children with dental fluorosis.



Fluorosis is the first visible sign that destructive effects of fluoride are also occurring in bone, connective tissue, immune and enzyme functions.



As a result of the original Manhattan Project logic, industries, now mainly the fertilzer and aluminum industries, have a perfect way to release their fluoride, a hazardous and toxic waste. It would cost up to $US 8,000 per truckload to dispose of it otherwise. At a rate of emissions into the air of 155,000 tons/year, in addition to an estimated 500,000 tons of emissions into lakes, ocean, rivers (not counting fluoridation) -- it's obvious that industry is saving billions and billions of dollars.



Darlene Sherrell, not only discovered that the original Roholm/Hodge fluoride safety figures had been mis-calculated and then persisted with the help of Dr. Bob Carton and Senator Bob Graham in her efforts to get the National Research Council (NAS/NRC) to adopt the new figures -- which had even been corrected by Hodge himself in 1979 -- also managed to change the law in Michigan, giving people the right to vote on fluoridation. Michigan was the first state in the US to repeal their mandatory fluoridation law.



A 1944 editorial in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) states: "We do know that the use of drinking water containing as little as 1.2 to 3ppm of fluorine will cause such developmental disturbances in bones as osteosclerosis, spondylosis and osteopetrosis, as well as goitre".



Steyn writes in 1962 that drinking water containing as little as 1 to 2 ppm of fluorine can cause serious disturbances of general health and especially in normal thyroid gland function and in the normal processes of calcium-phosphate metabolism (parathyroid function).



In 1969 Siddiqui show small visible goiters in persons 14 to 17 years of age in India to be directly related to high fluoride concentrations in drinking water.



Willems et al (1972) document that sodium fluoride blocks thyroid hormone secretion.



Also in 1972 Day and Powell-Jackson studied 648 people in 13 mountaineous regions in Nepal where the iodine content in the water was low and found a close relationship between fluoride intake and the incidence of goiter.



In 1978 George Waldbott writes that in most cases of poisoning from fluoridated water in which he had occasion to study the action of the thyroid gland, it's function was low. He cites a case of a 33-year-old male who exhibited typical manifesta- tions of pre-skeletal fluorosis and a basal metabolism rate of -22, indicative of hypothyroidism. Within three months after the man ceased consuming fluoridated water, the thyroid function had returned to normal (BMR=0). In addition, Waldbott writes that "simultaneously, other symptoms associated with low grade fluoride poisoning -- including excessive thirst, headaches, blurred vision, arthritis in shoulders, elbows, knees, and gastrointestinal disturbances -- also disappeared."



We tried to settle this ethics issue quietly, within the family, but EPA was unable or unwilling to resist external political pressure, and we took the fight public with a union amicus curiae brief in a lawsuit filed against EPA by a public interest group. The union has published on this initial involvement period in detail. Since then our opposition to drinking water fluoridation has grown, based on the scientific literature documenting the increasingly out-of-control exposures to fluoride, the lack of benefit to dental health from ingestion of fluoride and the hazards to human health from such ingestion. These hazards include acute toxic hazard, such as to people with impaired kidney function, as well as chronic toxic hazards of gene mutations, cancer, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, bone pathology and dental fluorosis.

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



In 1995, Mullenix and co-workers showed that rats given fluoride in drinking water at levels that give rise to plasma fluoride concentrations in the range seen in humans suffer neurotoxic effects that vary according to when the rats were given the fluoride -- as adult animals, as young animals, or through the placenta before birth. Those exposed before birth were born hyperactive and remained so throughout their lives. Those exposed as young or adult animals displayed depressed activity...

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



Another 1998 publication by Varner, Jensen and others reported on the brain- and kidney damaging effects in rats that were given fluoride in drinking water at the same level deemed "optimal" by pro-fluoridation groups, namely 1 part per million (1ppm). Even more pronounced damage was seen in animals that got the fluoride in conjunction with aluminum. These results are especially disturbing because of the low dose level of fluoride that shows the toxic effect in rats, and rats are more resistant to fluoride than humans!

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



Two epidemiology studies from China show decreases in I.Q. in children who get more fluoride than the control groups of children in each study. These decreases are about 5 to 10 I.Q. points in children aged 8 to 13 years.

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



Fluoride interferes with the function of the brain's pineal gland. The pineal gland produces melatonin which, among other roles, mediates the body's internal clock.

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



"The EPA fired the Office of Drinking Water's chief toxicologist, Dr. William Marcus, who also was our local union's treasurer at the time, for refusing to remain silent on the fluorine cancer risk issue.

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



Regarding the effectiveness of fluoride in reducing dental cavities, there has not been any double-blind study of fluoride's effectiveness as a caries preventative. There have been many, many small scale, selective publications on this issue that proponents cite to justify fluoridation, but the largest and most comprehensive study, one done by dentists trained by the National Institute of Dental Research, on over 39,000 school children aged 5-17 years, shows NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES (in terms of decayed, missing and filled teeth) among caries incidences in fluoridated, non-fluoridated and partially fluoridated communities(16). The latest publication (17) on the 50 year fluoridation experiment in two New York cities, Newburgh and Kingston, shows the same thing.

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



...In addition to our concern over the toxicity of fluoride, we note the uncontrolled -- and apparently uncontrollable -- exposures to fluoride that are occurring nationwide via drinking water, processed foods, fluoride pesticide residues and dental care products. A report in The Wall Street Journal on Dec. 21, 1998 that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 22% of America's children now have dental fluorosis, is just one indication of this uncontrolled, excess exposure. For governmental and other organizations to continue to push for more exposure in the face of current levels of over-exposure coupled with an increasing crescendo of adverse toxicity findings is irrational and irresponsible at best. Thus, we took the stand that a policy which makes the public water supply a vehicle for disseminating this toxic and prophylactically useless (via ingestion, at any rate) substance is wrong.

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



We have also taken a direct step to protect the employees we represent from the risks of drinking fluoridated water. We applied EPA's risk control methodology, the Reference Dose, to the recent neurotoxicity data. The Reference Dose is the daily dose, expressed in milligrams of chemical per kilogram of body weight, that a person can receive over the long term with reasonable assurance of safety from adverse effects. Application of this methodology to the Varner et al. data leads to a Reference Dose for fluoride of 0.000007 mg/kg/day. Persons who drink about one quart of fluoridated water from the public drinking water supply of the District of Columbia while at work receive about 0.01 mg/kg/day from that source alone. This amount of fluoride is more than 100 times (!) the Reference Dose. On the basis of these results the union filed a grievance, asking that EPA provide unfluoridated drinking water to its employees. The implication for the general public of these calculations is clear. Recent, peer-reviewed toxicity data, when applied to EPA's standard method for controlling risks from toxic chemicals, require an immediate halt to the use of the nation's drinking water reservoirs as disposal sites for the toxic waste of the phosphate fertilizer [and Aluminum] industry[s].

- "Why EPA's Headquarters Union Of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation"



Thyroid activity is reduced while bathing in fluoridated water, by absorption through the skin and inhalation.



The major iodine deficient areas in the country are identical to endemic fluorosis areas.



One child dies every minute due to complications associated with fluorine-induced iodine deficiency.



Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can often be a result of hypothyrodism. Conditions that increase tissue edema such as hypothyroidism are well-known causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In 1998, Dr. Bob Carton wrote: "Based on Roholm's work and other recent studies, there is every reason to believe that the increasing number of people with carpal-tunnel syndrome and arthritis- like pains are due to the mass fluoridation of drinking water"

- EPA Scientists, 1998



Many psychoactive drugs including Prozac, Paxil and Luvox are fluorinated medications. Rohypnol, the infamous date- rape drug, is fluorinated Valium, which is about 20-30 times more potent than Valium alone.



Fluoride in tea is much higher than the Maximium Contaminant Level (MCL) set for fluoride in drinking water.

- Green Tea & Fluoride



Tea leaves accumulate more fluoride (from pollution of soil and air) than any other edible plant.

- Green Tea & Fluoride



A website by a pro-fluoridation infant medical group lists a cup of black tea to contain 7.8 mgs of fluoride -- roughly the same amount as if one were to drink 7.5 quarts of water in an area fluoridated at 1ppm.

- Green Tea & Fluoride



Some British and African studies from the 1990's showed a daily fluoride intake of between 5.8 mgs and 9 mgs a day from tea alone [equal to drinking 5 to 9 quarts of fluoridated water per day!].

- Green Tea & Fluoride



Studies conducted on tea consumption in Tibetan children by Cao et al. found both dental (51.2%) and skeletal (32.83%) fluorosis, mainly as a result from drinking tea. More studies by Cao and others reported similar results, as did a study from Chile showing dental fluorosis risks in 22.1% of the children consuming tea as a main beverage. Many similar studies on tea as well as other beverages have been published in the journals of the American Dental Association (ADA) or American Medical Association (AMA) themselves.

- Green Tea & Fluoride



Studies on hydrofluoric-acid workers from an electronics company documented that, among the influences of fluorine- containing foodstuff on fluoride content in the biological fluids, the effect of black tea and/or green tea intake was "particularly remarkable". Measuring the urine and serum levels of fluorine ion, in the case of the non-hydrofluoric- acid workers, the concentration increased to about double of the control value. Similarly in a diet test on volunteers, the concentration increased about six times.

- Green Tea & Fluoride



In 1990 researchers at the University of Texas theorized that "the rise in incidence of dental fluorosis in North America is mainly due to the replacement of water intake by caffeine-containing beverages among the young population".

- Green Tea & Fluoride



To make matters much worse for human health, fluorides in teas are found together with aluminum. The combination of aluminum and fluorides in tea is of urgent concern, due to the increased damage done by fluorides when in the presence of aluminum, especially neurological and renal damage).

- Green Tea & Fluoride



The fluoride/aluminum association is of particular importance as it relates to Alzheimer's Disease. Aluminum by itself is not readily absorbed by the body. However, in the presence of fluoride ions, the fluoride ions combine with the aluminum to form aluminum fluoride, which is absorbed by the body. In the body, the aluminum eventually combines with oxygen to form aluminum oxide or alumina. Alumina is the compund of aluminum that is found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers. In the brain, proteins bind to the alumina, and "that is the key to the plaques and tangles which are the hallmarks of this terrible disease".



In a study by Dr. Robert Isaacson at the State University of New York, aluminum fluoride was added to the rats diet. This, contrary to normal expectations, passed through the brain barrier and gave the rats short term memory loss, smell sensory loss, unsteady gait, and loss of structures of the neo-cortex and hippocampus -- all symptoms of Alzheimer's. A Varner and Jensen study conducted with Isaacson confirmed this in 1998.



Toothpaste also contains a significant quantity of Aluminum (Al), more so, when packed in Al tubes. That children often ingest too much toothpaste is well established and the reason why since April 1997 a poison warning is to be placed on all fluoride-containing toothpastes in the US. It is an absolute disgrace that this is not the same in Canada, especially when the US FDA has issued several Import Alerts and customs detention orders, documenting fluoride amounts double that of permissable content originating in Canada!



It is only in the last two decades during which endocrinology has progressed so rapidly, that now over 150 symptoms and associations can be identified in hypothyroidism. Almost all (!) correlate with known symptoms of fluoride poisoning.



Most of the double-blind test results of fluoride poisoning found in Moolenburgh's study on water containing 1ppm of fluoride -- which led to the ban of fluoridation in Holland -- are now recognized symptoms of hypothyroidism.



The effects of fluoride on the thyroid gland have been studied so extensively, that it baffles the mind how experts on thyroid disease from Harvard or the University of Toronto can claim that fluorides do not affect thyroid gland function, especially when it has been used as medication to do just that! This stance just defies all knowledge properly gained in the last 70 years of related research. One cannot find any mention of fluorides in ANY current "official" thyroid disease related literature.



A toxicologist in the United Kingdom recently found that perinatal deaths in a fluoridated area was 15% higher than in neighboring non-fluoridated areas. The fluoridated area had a higher socio-economic status and would have been expected to have less perinatal deaths. The fluoridated area also had a 30% higher rate of Down's Syndrome.



Chile banned fluoridation because of research by the world- reknowned researcher and Nobel price winner, Dr. Albert Schatz, which showed a link to infant deaths due to fluoridation.



Learning disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) did not knowingly exist before the fluoridation of public water supplies began. In the 1950's ADHD spread rapidly among school children and gained much exposure in the medical science and health literature. In 1963 the U.S. PHS listed dozens of symptoms associated with hyperactivity and officially changed the name to "minimal brain dysfunction". By the the 1970's some leading authorities noted that this disorder appeared to lie at the root of nearly every type of childhood behaviour problem, and had become the most commonly diagnosed illness among childhood counsellors. In 1987 the American Medical Association acknowledged that brain damage had become the leading disability reported by elementary schools, and "one of the most common referral problems to psychiatry outpatients clinics". Many studies on thyroid hormones have shown that attention deficit and/or hyper- activity disorders in children are linked to changes in the levels of thyroid hormone in the blood, and that irritability and aggressive behaviour are linked to thyroid hormone levels and hypothyroidism.



It is important to note that mother's milk passes on neglible amounts of fluoride in very high fluoride-intake areas, as if Nature meant to protect the infant.



Could it be that the world-wide "iodine deficiency" (IDD) is actually fluoride excess? By comparing IDD data supplied by the WHO with fluorosis data found on MEDLINE, an answer may be found. Judge for yourself: COUNTRY IDD GOITER/FLUOROSIS India Very High Very High Nigeria High High Belgium Moderately Low Moderately Low France Low Low China Very High Very High Mexico Very High Very High Brazil High High Italy High High Tanzania Very High Very High Sudan High High



"Iodine deficiency" is now recognized as the most common cause of preventable brain damage and mental disability in the world today.



If you drink 1 cup (6oz) of green/black tea a day, with fluoride content of 5mg, you can expect Chronic Skeletal Fluorosis to appear as follows (based on a 100 lb person):

Phase 1: within 5 years (sporadic pain; stiffness in joints; osteosclerosis of pelvis and vertebral column) Phase 2: after 10 years (chronic joint pain; arthritic symptoms; slight calcification of ligaments; increased osteoclerosis/ cancerous bones; with/without osteoporosis of long bones) Phase 3 (crippling fluorosis) after 23 years (limitation of joint movement; calcification of ligaments/ neck, vert. Column; crippling deformities/spine major joints; muscle wasting;neurological defects/compression of spinal chord).

As argued by Dean Burk and the attorneys who established the connection between cancer deaths and fluoridation, there is a premise in logic which states that the most obvious cause of an event must be taken as face value while one searches for alternative possibilities. Because it can be documented that fluorides were given as medication for hyperthyroid patients it should be considered the OBVIOUS cause for hypothyroidism and other thyroid-hormone function-related disorders, including ADHD, arthritis, osteoporosis, etc., especially at intake levels as high as they are.



The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has previously estimated that levels of fluoride in/on food from the agricultural use of Cryolite plus fluoride levels in U.S. drinking water supplies results in a daily dietary intake of fluoride of approximately 0.095 mg/kg/day. For a person weighing 155 pounds, this would mean intake of 6.65mg/day from those two sources alone!. [That rate of consumption of fluoride will induce crippling fluorsis in 23 years].



A group of biologists and medical researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, led by Warren P. Porter, recently completed a 5-year experiment putting mixtures of low levels of pesticide chemicals into the drinking water of male mice and carefully measuring the results. They reported that combinations of these chemicals -- at levels similar to those found in the groundwater of agricultural areas of the U.S. -- have measurable detrimental effects on the nervous, immune and endocrine (hormone) systems. They say their research has direct implications for humans. Porter explains, "To get a chemical into a cell you've got to have part of the chemical that's fat soluble so it can pass through the cell membrane. And part of it has to have a strong electrical charge because you need to attract the chemical to the part of the cell where you want to do the damage. The trouble is, the ways cells communicate, both within themselves and between each other, is by means of highly charged molecules, ions really. These things are being pumped across the membranes and moved around in cells. So when you take a chemical that you've designed that has a strong electrical charge and you put it in the middle of this tremendous stream of communication--I mean, a high school chemistry student could tell you there are going to be effects. There's just no way these things are not going to be biologically active. It's very important for people to understand that. This is a very real concern." [Any chemist will tell you that Fluoride is the most reactive element known to man]



Recently a study of 4 and 5 year-old children exposed to pesticides in Mexico specifically noted a decrease in mental ability and an increase in aggressive behavior among children, indicating thyroid dysfunction. The exposed children demonstrated decreases in stamina, gross and fine eye-hand coordination, 30-minute memory, and the ability to draw a person.



The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology has classified fluoride as an unapproved dental medicament due to its high toxicity.



The FDA considers fluoride an unapproved new (NEW!!!) drug for which there is no proof of safety or effectiveness.



The fluoride in half a tube of toothpaste can kill a child.



Fluoride is an acute toxin with a rating [4 - very toxic] higher than that of lead [3 to 4, moderately to very toxic], according to "Clinical Toxicology of Commercial products," 5th Edition, 1984



The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for lead is 0.015 ppm, with a goal of 0.0ppm yet the MCL for fluoride is currently set for 4.0ppm - a ridiculous level that is over 250 times more lenient than the permissable level for lead, yet Fluoride is officially rated as more toxic!



Fluoride is one of the most bone seeking elements known.



The US Public Health Service has stated that fluoride makes the bones more brittle and the dental enamel more porous.



Children's ingestion of fluoride from juices and juice- flavored beverages can be quite substantial and a crucial factor in developing fluorosis.



Grape juice has been found to contain up to 6.8 mg/L of fluoride -- half a quart per day will cause crippling skeletal fluorosis ("arthritis") in 40 years.



Fluoride can be found in water, toothpaste, mouthwash, Dentist's treatment, fluoride pills, juice, soft drinks, canned food, commercial fruit and vegetables, Teflon and Tefal coated items (such as frying pans), etc.



No "optimal" fluoride intake has ever been scientifically documented.



As little as 0.04 mg fluoride, per kg, per day has been proven to cause adverse health effects. For a 150 pound person, this works out to about 2.7mg per day -- the amount in one quart of milk or half a quart of grape juice!



On July 9, 1998 the Manchester Guardian reported news of fluoride poisoned water in Central India, from untested wells drilled in the 1980s, causing severe arthritic damage to tens of millions of people.



The US Public Health Service has stated that fluoride makes the bones more brittle and dental enamel more porous.



Studies have proved that fluoride toxicity affects fertility.



Fluorides lower the intelligence capacity of humans, with children, again, especially susceptible to early fluoride toxicity. IQ levels were significantly lower than children not exposed to fluorides in all age groups listed. [Li,X.S.,Zhi,J.L.,Gao,R.O.,"Effects of Fluoride Exposure on the Intelligence of Children", Fluoride, 1995]



Studies proving the neurotoxicity of fluoride in rats have been conducted by Dr. Phyllis Mullinex. In 1995 Mullenix and co-workers showed that rats given fluoride in drinking water at levels that give rise to plasma levels fluoride concentrations in humans, suffer neurotoxic effects that vary according to when the rats were given the fluoiride -- as adult animals, as young animals, or thorugh the placenta before birth. Those exposed before birth were born hyperactive and remained so throughout their lives. Those exposed as young animals displayed depressed activity.



Four major studies involving 480,000 children (US, 39,000; Japan, 22,000; India, 400,000; Tucson, 29,000) comparing fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas showed no significant difference in decay rates. What is proven is that a higher intake of fluoride will actually cause MORE cavities, especially for children with low dietary calcium intake.



Fluoride causes cancer. In 1981, Dean Burk, for many decades Chief Chemist at the US National Cancer Institute, testified at congressional hearings, reporting that at least 40,000 cancer deaths in 1981 were attributable to fluoride. 40,000 cases that could have been prevented simply by NOT putting industry waste into the public water supply. Burk stated that fluoride causes more cancer, and causes it faster, than any other chemical.



In 1996 yet another cancer related study was published showing significant positive correlation between fluoride concentration in drinking water and uterine cancer mortality.



Fluorides can transform normal cells into cancerous ones, as has been shown in countless studies since Tsutui first published his data in 1984.



In 1997 there were more than 80 references available linking fluoride to cancer.



The FDA does not consider fluoride an essential nutrient.



Many pesticides contain fluorine as an "inactive" ingredient -- serving as the adjuvant ("ferry") that delivers the agent to its target. Because they are considered "inert", listing is not required on labels. [As a Chemical Engineer, I can tell you that Fluorine is the EXACT OPPOSITE of inert. Inert means unreactive, and Fluorine is the most reactive element known to man. HF, Hydrogen Fluoride, can etch glass!]



Q. I heard fluoride is a poison. Is this true?

A. Yes. Fluoride is an acute toxin with a rating [4 - very toxic] higher than that of lead [3 to 4, moderately to very toxic].



Q. Does fluoride accumulate in the body?

A. Yes. About half of each day's fluoride intake will be retained. This is what makes it so dangerous. "The dose makes the poison". All sides agree to the fact that healthy kidneys can eliminate only about 50% of daily fluoride intake. The rest gets absorbed in calcified tissues, like bones and teeth. The National Academy Of Sciences (NAS) stated in 1977 that, for the average individual, a retention of 2mg/day would result in crippling skeletal fluorosis after 40 years.



Q. How does fluoride get into the water?

A. Most often as a byproduct from the fertilizer, aluminum and other industries, who manage to sell this toxic waste to municipalities nationwide for human consumption. Incredible, but a fact.



Q. How can my dentist say that Fluoride's good for my teeth?

A. By receiving limited training on the subject and being misinformed on purpose by the ADA and CDA. Figures in ADA pamphlets contain an incredible amount of untruths, and outright fraudulent claims. If you check the references cited and numbers listed in your local libraries, you will come to the same conclusion. Most dentists never bother to take the time to study both sides of the fluoride issue. Consider this statement by the ADA in 1979: "Individual dentists must be convinced that they need not be familiar with scientific reports and field investigations on fluoridation to be effective participants and that non-participation is overt neglect of personal responsibility." There are NO reliable studies, conducted under ethical research guidelines, which prove the benefits of fluoride supplementation. The FDA admits to this! And there are more than 500 peer-reviewed studies documenting the adverse effects of it!



Q. Is it true that fluoride can cause cancer?

A. Yes. In 1981, Dean Burk, for many decades Chief Chemist at the US National Cancer Institute, testified at congressional hearings, reporting that at least 40,000 cancer deaths in 1981 were attributable to fluoride. 40,000 cases that could have been prevented simply by NOT putting industry waste into the public water supply. Burk stated that fluoride causes more cancer, and causes it faster, than any other chemical.



Q. Is it true that fluoride can increase hip fractures?

A. Yes. According to Dr. J. William Hirzy (vice-president of the NFFE LOCAL 2050, the union representing all scientists at the EPA, Washington, D.C.) there have been 5 epidemiological studies done since 1990, in three different countries, all showing increased hip fractures in fluoridated communities. Some studies have indicated a 87% higher risk of hip fractures to the elderly.



Q. Does fluoridation increase Osteoporosis and Arthritis?

A. Yes, most definitely. Scientists at EPA in Washington have declared that there is every reason to believe that the increasing numbers of people with carpal-tunnel syndrome and arthritis-like pains are due to the mass fluoridation of drinking water. On July 9, 1998 the Manchester Guardian reported news of fluoride poisoned water in Central India, from untested wells drilled in the 1980s, causing severe arthritic damage to tens of millions of people -- a national disaster.



Q. Does fluoride cause brain damage?

A. Yes. Fluorides lower the intelligence capacity of humans, with children, again, especially susceptible to early fluoride toxicity. IQ levels were significantly lower than children not exposed to fluorides in all age groups listed. (Li,X.S.,Zhi,J.L.,Gao,R.O.,"Effects of Fluoride Exposure on the Intelligence of Children", Fluoride, 1995)



Q. How wide-spread is the problem of fluorosis?

A. The US Public Health Service estimates that 1 in 5 children have dental fluorosis. All native reservations in the US have mandatory fluoridation, resulting in very high incidents of dental fluorosis in those areas. Realistic figures are as high as 80% in some areas in the US and up to 71% in Canada. Studies have been conducted directly linking bone tissue damage to children with dental fluorosis. Fluorosis is the first visible sign that destructive effects of fluoride are also occurring in bone, connective tissue, immune and enzyme functions.



Q. What do I need to do? How can I protect myself?

A. If you live in an area with fluoridated water, drink distilled water. You can have it delivered or buy it at supermarkets. You can also buy distilling or reverse osmosis systems for home use which is the only way for taking fluoride out of the water. Also, eliminate any Teflon of Tefal coated cook ware, for scratches in the surface will release PTFE, another toxic fluoride compound. Avoid fruit juices coming from fluoridated areas. All non-organic grape products are especially high in fluoride content due to the number of fertilizer and pesticide applications. Wine can contain up to 3 ppm fluoride. Avoid using any toothpaste or mouth wash containing fluoride. There are many alternatives on the market.



Q. What do I need to do? How can I protect myself?

A. Lobbying is required to demand fluoride content labeling on commercial products. Steps to educate the public about this proven health risk and fluoride's toxic properties must be taken immediately and health advisories issued. Water fluoridation should cease immediately and steps should be taken to reduce fluoride in food, drink and dental products. If you live in a fluoridated area, take action to stop the addition of fluoride into the water supply. Individuals ARE successful in educating legislators about the issue and have helped pass laws to stop the addition of fluoride into the water supply.



Q. What about the fluoride treatment at the dental office?

A. Fluoride treatments can contain between 10,000 to 20,000 ppm! Astonishingly, there is no regulated dose requirement. There are cases known of children dying in the dentist's chair. (New York Times, Jan.20, 1979: "$750,000 Given in Child's Death in Fluoride Case" about a three year old child killed by fluoride treatment in the Dentist's office.)



Q. If all the harmful effects of fluoride are true, how can all this be sanctioned by the government?

A. In 1939 a dentist named H. Trendley Dean, DDS, examined water from 345 communities in Texas. Dr. Dean worked for the U.S Public Health Service (PHS). He determined that high concentrations of fluoride in the water corresponded to a high incidence in mottled teeth. To many dentists this provided an answer to the problem of mottled teeth they saw in some of their patients. Dr. Dean also unexpectedly found a lower incidence of dental cavities in communities having about 1 ppm fluoride in the water supply. Among the native residents of these areas about ten percent developed the very mildest forms of mottled enamel, usually described as "beautiful white teeth". However, Dean used a technique known as "selective use of data", using data from 21 cities while completely disregarding data from 272 other locations which show an almost complete lack of correlation when plotted. (J. Colquhoun, International Symposium on Fluoridation, Porte Alegre, Brazil, September 1988). Meanwhile, a number of court cases were being launched due to fluoride contamination, mainly by the aluminum industry. In addition the Manhattan Project, the secret atomic bomb project, was in a big race to build the world's first A-bomb. A pollution incident of great magnitude occurred at a factory in New Jersey (DuPont) producing millions of tons of fluoride for the project. A major "negative PR" problem was emerging, threatening the Manhattan Project and the secrecy around it. In 1945, supposedly as a result of Dr. Dean's discovery, the PHS planned to conduct a 10-year study of fluoridation in two cities. Grand Rapids, Michigan was chosen as the city for artificial fluoridation and Muskegon, Michigan was the non-fluoridated city for comparison and cavity rates were to be compared. In 1950, after only five years into the project, due again to pressure exerted from the atomic bomb program, public health officials started to campaign for fluoridation -- hand in hand with industry looking for a solution to threatening law suits, and an American Dental Association desperate for "respect" and recognition. The campaign was based on the fact that fluoridated Grand Rapids had shown some decrease in cavity rate. Meanwhile there was also a decrease in cavity rate shown in non- fluoridated Muskegon. However, Muskegon was dropped from the study for unknown reasons. After the project was completed, only the Grand Rapids result was released and a major PR campaign promoting fluoride use started.

