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Why be concerned about fluoridated water?

Like most people in the United States, I was raised to believe that adding fluoride to the water supply was a critical part of combating tooth decay. Fluoride is added to virtually all of the public water supply in the U.S. but a growing number of organizations are now demanding that this practice be stopped.

There is no shortage of credible information about why fluoridation of drinking water is bad, but here are a few highlights to get your started:

  • Fluoride is not a necessary nutrient. There are no symptoms of fluoride deficiency.
  • The type of fluoride in our water supply is sodium fluoride, a toxic waste by-product from the Aluminum industry. Calcium fluoride is the type which is found in nature.
  • The amount of fluoride put into the water supply is 1 part per million. This is 100-200 times the amount of fluoride in mother’s milk (0.005 – 0.01 parts per million).
  • Fluoride has been linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s.
  • Ingestion of fluoride has been shown to lower IQ in children by as much as 15 points.
  • Fluoride toxicity in children can cause dental fluorosis – an irreversible cosmetic condition caused by orally consuming fluoride during the tooth forming years.
  • Most of Europe never fluoridated or stopped fluoridating their water due to health and ethics concerns.

There is still debate over whether or not rinsing your mouth with fluoride is beneficial for dental health. Drinking fluoride, however, has been shown to have absolutely no benefit. Fluoride is a highly toxic substance that, when ingested, creates havoc with our bodies. Like any toxin, it affects some people worse than others.

It turns out that fluoride isn’t easy to get rid of in water. Most water filtration systems do not remove fluoride. In my next article, I will lay out the options I have discovered for truly clean, fluoride-free water.

One Response to “Why be concerned about fluoridated water?”

  1. Dentist Milpitas CA on 12 Jul 2010 at 1:50 am

    Thank you for raising such an important topic. It is very disconcerting to think that, despite its health risks, water fluoridation is still being carried out in less privileged communities as a solution to expensive dental care.

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