(Natural News) The benefits of drinking water are immense. From flushing out toxins to increasing energy and boosting immunity, water truly is the cornerstone of good health. But what if every drop of the water we conscientiously drink to stay healthy is actually poisoned? Despite water’s many health benefits, no sensible person would knowingly drink water from a contaminated source. Most of us would be shocked to realize, therefore, that the water we drink every day in this country is purposely poisoned in harmony with public ‘healthcare’ policy.

What is this poison, you might ask? Fluoride. You may have been told that fluoride is simply a chemical added to water and oral hygiene products to strengthen teeth and prevent tooth decay. The truth is that it is nothing more than unprocessed toxic waste dumped into drinking water despite contamination by arsenic and heavy metals. There is no real proof that adding fluoride to water improves the strength of teeth. There is plenty of science-backed evidence, however, that it carries serious health risks. Even government-sponsored studies have confirmed that fluoride causes long-term harm. This begs the question: Why do state and local governments continue to knowingly pollute the public water supply with poison? (Related: Nearly all conventional food crops grown with fluoride-laced water, then sprayed with more fluoride.)

The facts about fluoride

While only about five percent of the world’s population drinks fluoridated water, in the United States more than 70 percent of local water supplies are fluoridated.

This does not reflect some kind of superior U.S. scientific understanding, and it isn’t about western water supplies being fluoridated while the water in developing countries is not. In fact, many advanced countries have chosen not to fluoridate their water after considering the evidence. The Fluoride Action Network reports that in western Europe, for example, only three percent of the population drinks fluoridated water. Interestingly, despite this lack of extra fluoride, the tooth decay rates in western Europe are no higher than those in countries that do add fluoride to drinking water.

Fluoride isn’t just ineffective at preventing tooth decay. Multiple studies by respected scientists have confirmed that it is a dangerous toxin.

Natural News previously reported:

A developmental neurotoxin

A recent study published in the journal The Lancet recommended that fluoride be classified as a developmental neurotoxin – a substance which is destructive to the brain, nervous system and/or spinal cord before birth and during infancy – along with arsenic, mercury, toluene and lead.

Lowers IQ

More than 50 peer-reviewed studies have linked the consumption of fluoridated water to lower IQ in children. A joint meta-analysis by Harvard School of Public Health and China Medical University, which examined 27 studies on the subject, found “strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children.”

Linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease

The body has a natural protective membrane called the blood-brain barrier which prevents dangerous substances like aluminum from entering the brain. However, when aluminum comes into contact with fluoride it is able to cross that barrier in the form of aluminum fluoride. Numerous studies have linked the presence of aluminum fluoride to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition, fluoride is associated with hypothyroidism and ADHD, along with several other serious health issues. (Related: Scientists STUNNED as first-of-its-kind study reveals strong link between fluoridated water and ADHD.)

The murky history of water fluoridation

So, why did the government decide to start adding fluoride to water if it has no discernible benefits and carries so many risks?

As reported by Children’s Health Defense, during World War II, fluoride began to be produced on a large scale as part of the Manhattan Project which was responsible for the development of the first nuclear weapons. Declassified government documents reveal that scientists on the project quickly determined that fluoride posed a serious health threat to bomb program workers and communities in the area. In a bid to prevent wholescale panic about this toxic chemical, the government embarked on a propaganda program to convince the public of its ability to prevent tooth decay.

The government backed its own propaganda with a series of flawed scientific trials to confirm what it had already been declaring as fact. Then, in 1950, the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) announced that water fluoridation was official public health policy, and advised communities across the country to start fluoridating water to prevent tooth decay.

Though the government has continued to insist that fluoride is safe and effective, the science is conclusive: Fluoride is dangerous and ineffective, and the government urgently needs to stop mandating its addition to our water supply.

Learn more about the dangers of fluoride and how to protect yourself and your family at Fluoride.news.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

FluorideAlert.org

EHP.NIEHS.NIH.gov

NaturalNews.com

MindBodyGreen.com