Water fluoridation, the controlled addition of fluoride to public water supplies, is an effort to prevent and reduce tooth decay. However, contrary to popular belief, the evidence that fluoridation or swallowing fluoride reduces tooth decay is weak and largely inconclusive. While fluoride advocates claim that fluoride leads to a reduction in tooth decay, this has yet to be definitively proved.

In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), America currently fluoridates two ­thirds of their public water supply, and consistently experiences higher rates of tooth decay compared to those with that don’t fluoridate their water, like Sweden.

Beyond tooth issues fluoride has consistently proven to be an endocrine disruptor that can affect your bones, thyroid gland, brain and blood sugars.

Importantly, fluoride is a not a nutrient; no human biological proves needs fluoride. This is dangerous. The reason? Once fluoride is added to the water supply, it is impossible to control its dosage, meaning that the dosage is universal, regardless of age, health or weight. Beyond issues of human health and dosage, the fluoridation of public water supplies violates individual rights to informed consent to medical and human treatment is troubling.

The debate over fluoride is ongoing, and despite the fact that studies consistently prove the dangers of fluoride toxicity, there remains a lack of widespread awareness on its health risks.

Brain Damage According the Harvard School of Public Health, fluoride is on par with toxins such as lead and mercury when studying chemical brain drain. Yet, fluoride remains to be given the warnings and exposure surrounding the awareness on the risks of ingesting fluoridated water.

Similar studies support these findings, adding that even modest fluoride exposure reduces IQ points and manipulates neurobehavioral processes. Other brain ­related risks of fluoridated water include: impaired antioxidant defense systems, damage to the hippocampus, and the accumulation of excess fluoride in the pineal gland.

Lowers Thyroid Function Upon contact with fluorinated water, your thyroid gland is severely compromised, sending your hormonal and metabolic system into disarray. In a report put forth by the National Research Council (NRC), titled, “Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standards,” fluoride proved to have a direct relationship with parathyroid activity, glucose intolerance and the age of sexual maturity. This is especially concerning to children who ingest fluoridated water on a consistent, daily basis.

Higher Infertility Rates and Birth Defects

Couples have trouble getting pregnant or who have suffered through a miscarriage are often troubled by the source of the issue. Rather than spending inordinate amounts of money determining the root of infertility, simple drinking water may be to blame.

For men, according to a study conducted by Toxicology and Industrial Health, upon drinking fluoride, testicular and prostate gland size shrinks.

To boot, sperm count is compromised and the sperm that is produced is largely dysfunctional and impaired. Equally as damaging, women that ingest fluoridated water during pregnancy run the risk of suppressing their future child’s IQ, increasing the likelihood of their child developing psychiatric disorder, in additional to a number of other birth defects.

SOURCES

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/30/water­fluoridation­facts.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/01/water­supply­fluoridation.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=10.1289/ehp.1104912

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr­mercola/fluoride_b_2479833.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/13/fluoride­and­thyroid­ dysfunction.aspx

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11571/fluoride­in­drinking­water­a­scientific­review­of­epas­ standards

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/water­fluoridation­and­ cancer­risk

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18681235

http://www.fluorideresearch.org/362/files/FJ2003_v36_n2_p84­94.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8169995