Most
countries have rejected the process of
fluoridation on the grounds that it is unsafe.
Do they know something we don't? |
From Part I
& II:
Since
April 1997, the Food and Drug Administration has required a
warning label on all dental care products containing fluoride.
Early tests in the 1930s warned of the dangers of fluoride for
human ingestion. At this time, manufacturers of aluminum were
selling unwanted waste by-products of sodium fluoride as rat
poisons and insecticides, but they needed other markets to rid
themselves of more of this hazardous waste. Through a series of
inventive mass marketing and public relations campaigns, the
leaders of dentistry, medicine and public health were persuaded
that fluoridation was not only safe but also beneficial to humans.
In 1950, long before any studies had been completed to show the
safety factor involved, both the United States Public Health
Service (USPHS) and the American Dental Association (ADA) endorsed
fluoridation.
After
reading parts I and II, you may now have a better understanding of
how and why fluoridation was started. At a price of $8,000 a
truckload to dispose of the hazardous waste by-products of sodium
fluoride, large companies had found a profitable market with the
fluoridation of our American cities, as well as the addition of
sodium fluoride to numerous dental products.
According
to the 1984 issue of Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products
(Williams & Wilkins), fluoride is more poisonous than lead,
and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It has been used as
a pesticide for the control of mice, rats and other
"pests." A 1991 report from the Akron (Ohio) Regional
Poison Center states, "Death has been reported following
ingestion of 16 mg/kg of fluoride." That means that
one-hundredth of an ounce of fluoride could kill a 10-pound child
and one-tenth of an ounce could kill a 100-pound adult. The report
continues, "Fluoride toothpaste contains up to 1 mg/gram [1
milligram per gram] of fluoride." This means that a
family-sized tube of toothpaste contains 199 milligrams of
fluoride, more than enough to kill a 25-pound child. Even Proctor
& Gamble, the makers of Crest, acknowledge that a family-sized
(7-ounce) tube of fluoride toothpaste "theoretically, at
least, contains enough fluoride to kill a small child."
While
most children will not consume an entire tube of toothpaste,
consumption of smaller amounts of toothpaste certainly presents a
health hazard. Flavored toothpaste (such as bubblegum, fruit or
grape flavor) should never be used with young children due to
their desirable taste and greater risk of swallowing.
The
toothbrushing habits of 12 to 24-month-old children were examined
and it was found that 20% of the children ingested more than 0.25
mg. of fluoride per day by toothbrushing alone. It has been found
that a 4 to 6-year-old child will consume 25% to 33% of the
toothpaste on their brush.
Eighty-seven
cases of fluoride poisoning in children younger than 12 years old
were reported to the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center in 1986.
Eighty-five cases involved accidental ingestion of fluoride
products in the home, and two involved fluoride treatment by a
dentist. One 13-month-old child died. Twenty-five suffered
gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal
pain). In a more recent study, it was reported that sodium
fluoride, the same type used in Crest, Colgate and most all
toothpaste, was the most frequent single cause of acute poisoning
in children.
What
about fluoride treatments done in the dental chair? There have
been many cases reported of children dying after ingesting
fluoride from a fluoride treatment. Fluoride treatments can
contain between 10,000 to 20,000 parts per million (ppm) fluoride.
There is no regulated dose requirement. A fluoride solution is
given to a child in a liquid swish form (child is asked to swish
in mouth), a tray form (fluoride is put in tray and tray is held
in child's mouth), or as a swab form (solution painted on child's
teeth with a cotton swab).
On
January 20, 1979, the New York Times reported a settlement of
$750,000 received by parents of a 3-year-old child killed by
fluoride in the dental chair. The dentist and dental hygienist
were found at fault, but also named in the suit was the American
Dental Association (ADA), which was not found at fault. The legal
stance of the ADA was, "The ADA owes no legal duty of care to
protect the public from allegedly dangerous products used by
dentists…. The information it disseminates is intended for the
benefits of its membership only. Dissemination of information
relating to the practice of dentistry does not create a duty of
care to protect the public from potential injury."
In
1993, thanks to the tenacity of New Jersey legislative aide
Michael Perrone and assemblyman John V. Kelly, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) was forced to admit that: 1) they have no
studies showing that fluoride tablets or drops are either safe or
effective in reducing tooth decay; and 2) the sale of fluoride
tablets and drugs is illegal.
Fluoride
supplements are marketed without the required new drug
applications (enacted 10/12/1962) demonstrating safety and
effectiveness. This situation exists as a result of manufacturers
introducing products directly into the market prior to 1962
without seeking FDA approval. Unfortunately, the FDA allows these
products to remain on the market even with the vast number of
studies demonstrating the adverse effects of fluoride ingestion.
Water
is fluoridated in the range of .7 ppm (in Arizona) to 1.2 ppm (in
Alaska). It was felt that people living in Arizona with a very hot
climate drank more water than people living in Alaska, where it is
much colder. Of course, we Alaskans know that our consumption of
water, especially when it is cold, is very high due to the fact of
how dry it is in the winter and the problem of dehydration.
The U.
S. National Institute of Dental Research has found that as little
as 0.4 to 0.8 ppm fluoride in the drinking water causes mottled
teeth, known as fluorosis. As noted previously, fluorosis is the
first outward visible sign of fluoride poisoning to the body.
What
other adverse health effects does fluoride poisoning cause? The
United States Pharmacopoeia, a guide to drug information, lists
some of the side effects that can result from daily ingestion of
the amount of fluoride found in 1 to 2 points of artificially
fluoridated water. These include: black tarry (tar-like) stools;
bloody vomit; faintness; nausea and vomiting; shallow breathing;
stomach cramps or pain; tremors; unusual excitement; unusual
increase in saliva; watery eyes; weakness; constipation; loss of
appetite; pain and aching of bones; skin rash; sores in the mouth
or on lips; stiffness; weight loss; and white, brown or black
discoloration of teeth.
Other
adverse health effects of fluoride are:
Cancer
As
Dean Burk, Chief Chemist Emeritus at the U. S. National Cancer
Institute notes, "Everything causes cancer? Perhaps
conceivably even a single electron at the other side of the
universe? The real question is how likely is any one particular
cause? In point of fact, fluoride causes it faster than any other
chemical."
Research
has shown in numerous studies that fluoride is a carcinogen, and
is cancer promoting in laboratory cell studies, animal studies and
human studies.
Dr.
Dean Burk and Dr. John A. Yiamouyiannis, Ph.D. in biochemistry and
world-leading authority on the biological effects of fluoride,
compared the cancer death rate of the ten largest fluoridated
cities with the cancer rate of the ten largest non-fluoridated
cities that had comparable death rates from 1940 to 1950, a period
of time during which neither group of cities were fluoridated. The
studies showed the cancer rates of both groups rose in virtually
identical fashions. In 1952 to 1956, the two groups of cities gave
way to a noticeable divergence. The cancer death rates of the
fluoridated group of cities increased drastically relative to that
of the non-fluoridated group of cities. (Congressional Record,
12/16/1975)
The
United States has one of the highest cancer rates in the world,
with over 10,000 cancer deaths per year linked to water
fluoridation. There are numerous studies showing fluoride linked
to liver cancer, oral cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer,
osteosarcomas, hepatocholangiocarcinomas, and other tumors and
cancers. There is little doubt that fluoride causes cancer.
Genetic Damage
In
numerous studies, fluoride in water (even at a concentration of 1
ppm) can cause chromosome damage. These studies also show that as
fluoride content of water increases, the degree of chromosomal
damage increases. One of the many studies done by Proctor &
Gamble (makers of Crest) showed that fluoride at levels of less
than 1 ppm caused genetic damage in Chinese hamsters' ovary cells
as can be seen in statistically significant data from a paper they
published in Mutation Research in 1989.
It is
quite clear that fluoride causes genetic damage. Most evidence
indicates that fluoride acts on the DNA repair enzyme system, but
it does not rule out the possibility that fluoride also interferes
with DNA synthesis.
Skeletal
Fluorosis
Fluoride
has been shown to interfere with collagen (the material that makes
up the matrix of bone and tissues of the body) formation in the
osteoblasts (cells that lay down bone) and chondroblasts (cells
that lay down cartilage). Consumption of fluoride results in the
body's inability to discriminate between which tissues should be
mineralized and which tissues should not. In other words,
mineralization of tissues such as bone (which should be
mineralized) is disrupted while tendons, ligaments, muscles and
other soft tissues (which should not be mineralized) start to
become mineralized.
By
interfering with collagen production, fluoride leads to the
production of larger quantities of imperfect collagen, and thus
interferes with the body's normal regulation of collagen
mineralization. Cumulative damage to these cells leads to
arthritis, arteriosclerosis, brittle bones, wrinkled skin,
osteoporosis, and scleroderma. Fluoride's disruptive effects on
collagen in soft tissues may also set off other diseases such as
muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
In
1990, Dr. Steven Jacobosen and co-workers found a link between the
rate of hip fractures among U.S. women 65 years of age and over
and the degree of fluoridation in their country of residence. This
study examined the records of 541,985 cases of osteoporosis and
was published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. Another study done in Britain reported
similar results for men and women 45 years of age and older. In
this study, it was found that increasing the concentration of
fluoride in water from 0 to 1 ppm would increase the hip fracture
rate by 40%.
Damaging the
Immune System
In
studies done on the immune system, Dr. Peter Wilkinson of the
University of Glasgow found that fluoride decreased the migration
rate of human white blood cells with as little as 0.2 ppm
fluoride. As fluoride concentration increased, so did the degree
of migration inhibition. Remember that white blood cells are the
body's defense system to foreign invaders of the body, such as
bacteria and viruses. The speed at which the body's defense system
can attack and kill foreign invaders is slowed down by the
presence of fluoride in the body, thus depressing the ability of
white blood cells to destroy and dispose of foreign agents that
may cause damage to the body.
Neurological
Impairment
There
are numerous studies linking the effects of fluoride with
neurological impairment. One of these studies was done by Dr.
Phyllis Mullenix, Ph.D., co-founder of the first toxicology
laboratory for dentistry in the nation at Forysth Dental Research
Institute (an affiliate of Harvard), and now of Children's
Hospital, Boston, MA.
Dr.
Mullenix outlined a history of 27 studies addressing fluoride's
effect on the brain and neurological behavior dating back to 1869.
Dr. Mullenix provided references to the science that she states
should have been sufficient warning to reduce further exposure
until comprehensive studies could be performed to ascertain the
true extent of effects.
Dr.
Mullenix described her behavior study (Neurotoxicology and
Teratology, Vol.17, no.2; pp169-177, 1995) depicting hyperactivity
and hypoactivity in laboratory animals as a result of prenatal and
postnatal exposure to fluoride. Stated further in her studies is
that it only took one exposure to fluoride during critical brain
development for that animal to be hyperactive for the rest of its
life. Sound familiar with the alarming increase of young children
on Ritalin?
Enzyme
Inhibition
Fluoride
at 1 ppm or less interferes with the normal operation of a number
of important enzymes. Enzymes are proteins found in all living
cells. They are responsible for catalyzing (triggering) the
chemical reactions that make life possible. These reactions lead
to the breakdown of food to carbon dioxide, water, and urinary
waste products; they produce the energy needed to support the life
processes; they make possible the build-up of new tissues and the
breakdown of old, unneeded tissues. In the absence of enzymes,
most of the reactions needed to support life could not take place
at body temperature, while others would not take place at all. For
example, sugar is 'burned' in the body at 98.6 degrees due to the
action of enzymes, whereas sugar in a pan will not even begin to
burn unless heated to over 250 degrees, a temperature far above
the boiling point of water and a temperature at which human life
cannot exist. The production of other substances in the body, such
as DNA, RNA and protein, would be impossible without the
involvement of enzymes.
The
ability of fluoride to interfere with enzyme activity at 1 ppm or
less is not a point of controversy. The United States National
Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization as well as
other groups have published lists of over 100 enzymes that are
inhibited at fluoride levels of 1 ppm or less. Remember that 1 ppm
is the level of fluoride used to fluoridate public water systems.
It's
quite evident that fluoride levels found in human tissues inhibit
certain enzymes. Thus, since enzymes are present in all living
cells and are responsible for virtually all living processes, it
is not surprising that fluoride can cause such a wide variety of
ill effects.
Does Fluoride
really reduce tooth decay?
The
original studies done in 1938 by Dr. H. Trendley Dean, the first
director of the National Institute of Dental Research, claimed to
have found that fluoride in drinking water was responsible for a
reduction in tooth decay in children. However, an examination of
his data shows otherwise. In fact, if Dr. Dean were trying to
point out that 1.7 to 2.5 ppm fluoride were necessary for cavity
prevention, he would also have to admit these same levels of
fluoride produced mottling (fluorosis) in 40% to 70% of the
children.
Dean's
studies have been widely cited by fluoridation promoters because
they supposedly proved the benefits of fluoride. What the data
really shows, however, is that fluoride has little if any effect
on tooth decay.
Studies
done since 1938 show that the amount of fluoride used to
fluoridate public water systems does not reduce tooth decay under
laboratory conditions. As Dr. Hardy Limeback, B.Sc., Ph.D., DDS,
reported in the January 2000 edition of Dental & Health
Facts Newsletter, "Residents of cities that
fluoridate have doubled the fluoride in their hip bones vis-à-vis
the balance of the population. Worse, we discovered that fluoride
is actually altering the basic architecture of human bones."
One of the most obvious living experiments today, Dr. Limeback
believes, is a proof-positive comparison between two Canadian
cities. "Here in Toronto, we've been fluoridating for 36
years. Yet Vancouver -- which has never fluoridated -- has a
cavity rate lower than Toronto's rate."
In
1986 to 1987, the largest study on fluoridation and tooth decay
ever conducted in the history of the United States did not find a
statistically significant difference in dental decay between
fluoridated and nonfluoridated cities. The study was conducted in
84 areas around the country and included 39,000 children, aged 5
to 17 years. A third of the areas were fluoridated, a third were
partially fluoridated and a third were not fluoridated.
A
survey by the World Health Organization reports a decline of
dental decay in Western Europe, which is 98% nonfluoridated. Most
countries have rejected the process of fluoridation on the grounds
that it is unsafe. Do they know something we don't?
Many
Americans do not realize the amount of fluoride they ingest on a
daily basis. Not only do we receive fluoride from the dental
products we use and the water we drink, but also we receive
fluoride from the foods we eat. Any food that is grown, processed
or reconstituted in a fluoridated community will have fluoride to
it. When the food is grown, chances are that it will encounter
fluoride via fertilizer or pesticide. Even if the food is
organically grown, the food will contain fluoride if the
community's water is fluoridated. If that food is processed in a
large city, chances are that city is fluoridated, so again more
fluoride is added to the food.
Examples
of fluoride content in food include:
Diet Coke -- 2.6
parts per million (ppm)
Beer, wine -- 15 ppm
Gerber's "First Year's" juices -- 3 ppm
Kellogg's "Fruit Loops" cereal -- 2.1 ppm
When
you cook with fluoridated water, the fluoride content of food can
be greatly increased. As an example, raw peas contain .012
milligrams of fluoride, but when cooked in fluoridated water,
those same peas contain 1.5 milligrams of fluoride.
The
average consumption of fluoride today is approximately 7 to 10 mg.
of fluoride daily. Since fluoride is stored in the body in
specific tissues (mostly the bones and tissues discussed earlier)
and is cumulative, it is easy to understand how at a young age of
40 years, you start to feel the aches and pains of old age.
I hope
this information has given you a desire to seek and learn more
about fluoride. Is fluoride your friend or foe? You decide.
For
more information on fluoride or other dental concerns, please feel
free to contact our office, Health Centered Dentistry, at 2600
Denali Street, Suite 500, Anchorage. Phone: 907-277-2600.
