Mosaic Fertilizer, one of the worlds largest phosphate
mining and fertilizer companies, agreed to a $2-billion
settlement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA accused Mosaic of improper storage and disposal of
waste from the production of phosphoric and sulfuric acids,
key components of fertilizers
Fluorosilicic acid, another hazardous waste product of the
fertilizer industry, is sold to US municipalities to be
added to drinking water for the purposes of water
fluoridation
By Dr. Mercola
Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC is one of the world's largest phosphate
mining and fertilizer companies. ;In October 2015, the company
agreed to a $2-billion settlement with the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Louisiana Department of Environmental
Quality, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection over
a 10-year battle over hazardous waste disposal.
The EPA accused Mosaic of improper storage and disposal of waste
from the production of phosphoric and sulfuric acids, key components
of fertilizers, at the company's facilities in Louisiana and
Florida. The Tampa Bay Times reported:1
"The EPA said it had discovered Mosaic employees were
mixing highly corrosive substances from its fertilizer
operations with the solid waste and wastewater from mineral
processing, in violation of federal and state hazardous waste
laws."
"The 60 billion pounds of hazardous waste addressed in
this case is the largest amount ever covered by a federal or
state. . . settlement and will ensure that wastewater at
Mosaic's facilities is properly managed and does not pose a
threat to groundwater resources."
It is ironic that the EPA acknowledges the threat posed to
groundwater by Mosaic's hazardous waste disposal because one of the
chemicals classified as hazardous waste is fluorosilicic acid,
another waste product of their fertilizer production.
Mosaic is one of the largest sellers of fluorosilicic acid, which
is widely used by public drinking water systems across the US to
fluoridate water supplies. More than 200 million Americans drink
these wastes every day, according to the Fluoride Action Network
(FAN).3
If You Drink Fluoridated Water, You're Likely Drinking Mosaic's
Hazardous Fertilizer Waste
While pharmaceutical-grade fluoride is a harmful-enough drug,
this is not the type of fluoride being added to drinking water. If
it was, at least then it would be a pure, uncontaminated form.
Rather the fluoride that is typically used to fluoridate local
water supplies is a frequently contaminated chemical byproduct
created during the phosphate fertilizer manufacturing process.
It's a concentrated, highly toxic chemical riddled with hazardous
impurities, making it extremely expensive to safely dispose of when
not sold for profit as a water additive.
Fluoride compounds like fluorosilicic acid are toxic industrial
waste products, which can also be contaminated with lead, arsenic,
radionucleotides, aluminum, and other industrial contaminants.
In fact, uranium and radium are two known carcinogens found in
fluorosilicic acid used for water fluoridation, and
radioactive polonium-210 is one of two decay products of
uranium.
Later, they switched to the even more hazardous waste product,
fluorosilicic acid, from the phosphate fertilizer industry. But none
of the studies on fluoride actually used the far more toxic and
contaminated fluorosilicic acid that is presently added to the water
supply.
Rather, they use pharmaceutical-grade fluoride, which while
harmful, is not quite as bad as what's being used for water
fluoridation.
Back in 1983, the Deputy Administrator of the EPA Office of
Water, Rebecca Hanmer, summarized and defended the EPA's policy on
adding toxic fluoride to drinking water in part because it provides
a use for the toxic byproducts of the fertilizer industry:4
"In regard to the use of fluosilicic (fluorosilicic) acid
as a source of fluoride for fluoridation, this agency regards
such use as an ideal environmental solution to
a long-standing problem.
By recovering by-product fluosilicic acid from fertilizer
manufacturing, water and air pollution are minimized, and water
utilities have a low-cost source of fluoride available to them."
[Emphasis mine]
Fluoride Is One of the Phosphate Fertilizer Industry's Greatest
Liabilities
Mosaic Fertilizer is the world's largest phosphate mining
company. About three-quarters of the phosphate used in the US (an
$85-billion industry) comes from Florida. Phosphate rocks are
scooped out of the earth and mixed with clay, sand, and water to
create a slurry.
That slurry is pumped to a plant where the phosphate is separated
from the sand and clay. Not only does this process create a
radioactive byproduct called phosphogypsum, which must be disposed
of in 150-tall "gyp stacks," but it's also a major source of
fluoride.5
As reported by FAN:6
"Fluoride has been, and remains to this day, one of the
largest environmental liabilities of the phosphate industry.
The source of the problem lies in the fact that raw
phosphate ore contains high concentrations of fluoride, usually
between 20,000 to 40,000 parts per million (equivalent to 2 to 4
percent of the ore).
When this ore is processed into water-soluble phosphate
(via the addition of sulfuric acid), the fluoride content of the
ore is vaporized into the air, forming highly toxic gaseous
compounds (hydrogen fluoride and silicon tetrafluoride).
In the past, when the industry had little, if any,
pollution control, the fluoride gases were frequently emitted in
large volumes into surrounding communities, causing serious
environmental damage.
They call them 'wet scrubbers' the pollution control
devices used by the phosphate industry to capture fluoride gases
produced in the production of commercial fertilizer. In the
past, when the industry let these gases escape, vegetation
became scorched, crops destroyed, and cattle crippled.
Today, with the development of sophisticated
air-pollution control technology, less of the fluoride escapes
into the atmosphere, and the type of pollution that threatened
the survival of some communities in the 1950s and 60s, is but a
thing of the past (at least in the US and other wealthy
countries).
However, the impacts of the industry's fluoride emissions
are still being felt, although more subtly, by millions of
people people who, for the most part, do not live anywhere
near a phosphate plant.
That's because, after being captured in the scrubbers,
the fluoride acid (hydrofluorosilicic acid [or fluorosilicic
acid]), a classified hazardous waste, is barreled up and sold,
unrefined, to communities across the country.
Communities add hydrofluorosilicic acid to their water
supplies as the primary fluoride chemical for water
fluoridation. Even if you don't live in a community where
fluoride is added to water, you'll still be getting a dose of it
through cereal, soda, juice, beer, and any other
processed food and drink manufactured with fluoridated water."
Dr. William Hirzy from the EPA has pointed out that if this
byproduct goes into the air, it's a pollutant. If it goes into the
local water, it's pollution. But if the public water utilities buy
it and pour it in our drinking water, it's no longer a pollutant.
All of a sudden like magic it's a beneficial public health measure.
CDC Continues to Support Water Fluoridation Despite Scientifically
Proven Risks
In September 2015, the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reportedly worked with organized dentistry to promote
legislative and legal strategies that would protect and promote
water fluoridation in the US.7
This is despite the fact that science continues to show
significant adverse effects, and little to no benefit, from this
obsolete practice. Paul Connett, PhD, FAN executive director, noted:8
"Clearly, they are creating a PR stunt hoping to
revitalize this Orwellian practice that goes against every
principle of modern pharmacology. They are protecting
fluoridation policy, reputations, and jobs and not the American
public."
Earlier this year, the Cochrane Collaboration released a
comprehensive review with points that are nearly impossible to
dispute. Fluoride doesn't work to prevent cavities and it's
proven to cause harm in the form of dental fluorosis.
The Cochrane Collaboration is considered to be the gold standard
in evidence-based reviews, and only three studies conducted
since 1975 had enough merit to be included. None showed that
swallowing fluoride prevents cavities while it was clear that it
causes harm (dental fluorosis). Fluorosis mottled discolorations
on teeth is not purely aesthetic, either. It's a visible sign that
you've been exposed to this known developmental neurotoxin at
excessive levels.
Worse still, even the "best" studies were not considered to be
high quality and nearly all were flawed, for instance failing to
control for other contributing factors, such as dietary sources of
fluoride aside from tap water, diet and ethnicity. Just last year,
Lancet Neurology released a study, authored by a Harvard
doctor, among others, that classified fluoride as a developmental
neurotoxin.9
The Harvard meta-analysis also clearly showed that children
exposed to fluoride in drinking water had lower IQ, by an average of
seven points, in areas with raised concentrations.
And the majority of the studies had fluoride levels of less than
four milligrams (mg) per liter, which is under the US
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) allowable level (4 ppm) and
offers no adequate margin of safety to protect all children drinking
fluoridated water in the US.
When you consider all the steps to limit children to exposure to
other neurotoxic substances like lead and mercury it borders on
lunacy to deliberately add neurotoxic fluoride to the drinking water
of millions. The last children that need their IQ lowered are
children from low-income families and these are precisely the
children targeted by fluoridation programs.
Fluoride Has Failed to Stop Sugar-Caused Tooth Decay
Also revealing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
there is no discernible difference in tooth decay between
developed countries that fluoridate their water and those that do
not.10
It's become clear that swallowing fluoride poses little, if any,
benefit along with unacceptable risks. FAN further revealed some
striking findings about fluoridation released earlier this year:11
Researchers uncovered evidence showing the sugar industry
colluded with the National Institutes of Health in the 1960s and
1970s to turn attention away from sugar, a proven cause of tooth
decay, in favor of other unproven approaches including fluoride.12
Research published in the Journal of Dental Research
showed fluoride hasn't stopped sugar-caused tooth decay.
Researchers wrote, "previous preventive measures have clearly
failed."13
An American Journal of Public Health article
reported fluoridation was adopted prematurely without harms and
risks fully explored.14
Is Your Health at Risk from Drinking Fluoridated Water?
Fluoride is a cumulative toxin, which means the more exposure you
get, and the longer you get it, the worse your symptoms of fluoride
poisoning are likely to be (although children are also at an
increased risk of harm). Research conducted earlier this year, for
instance, linked fluoridated-water consumption to
thyroid
dysfunction, weight gain, and depression.
Thyroid function was affected starting at a fluoride level of 0.3
mg/L, which is less than half what the US currently
recommends, which is a level of 0.7 mg/L. Your pineal gland also
tends to accumulate significant amounts of fluoride, which
eventually causes it to calcify.
This may lead to ADHD-like symptoms and may also play a role in
Alzheimer's and bipolar disease. Considering its effect on
neurotransmitters, it's also quite conceivable that it might promote
depression and other neurological disorders.15
Further, according to one 500-page scientific review, fluoride is an
endocrine disruptor that can also affect your bones, brain, and even
your blood sugar levels.16
There are more than 100 published studies illustrating
fluoride's harm to the brain alone, plus 45 more that directly
link
fluoride exposure to reduced IQ in children Studies have also
demonstrated that fluoride toxicity, caused by overexposure, can
lead to:
Inactivation of 62 enzymes and inhibition of more than
100
Inhibited formation of antibodies, and immune system
disruptions
Do You Want to Decrease Your Fluoride Exposure?
FAN is one of the leading organizations that is working
feverishly to eliminate fluoride from the water supply. Dr. Paul
Connett is one of our Health Liberty partners and we deeply
appreciate and applaud his organization's hard efforts. We have
reprinted their excellent recommendations on how to decrease your
fluoride exposure below.
1) Stop Drinking Fluoridated Water:
Tap water consumption is, on average, the largest daily
source of fluoride exposure for people who live in areas that
add fluoride to the water. Avoiding consumption of fluoridated
water is especially critical for
infants. If you live in area that fluoridates its water, you
can avoid drinking the fluoride in one of three ways:
Water Filters: One way of avoiding the
fluoride from tap water is to purchase a water filter. Not
all water filters, however, remove fluoride. The three types
of filters that can remove fluoride are reverse osmosis,
deionizers (which use ion-exchange resins), and activated
alumina. Each of these filters should be able to remove
about 90 percent of the fluoride. By contrast, "activated
carbon" filters (e.g., Brita & Pur) do not remove fluoride.
Spring Water: Another way to avoid
fluoride from tap water is to purchase spring water. Most
brands of spring water contain very low levels of fluoride.
Some brands, however, do contain high levels (e.g., Trinity
Springs). Before consuming any bottled water on a consistent
basis, therefore, you should verify that the fluoride
content is less than 0.2 ppm, and ideally less than 0.1 ppm.
You can find out the level of fluoride in some of the
popular brands
here. You can also find out the fluoride level by
calling the number on the water label. (Most companies have
this information readily available.)
Water Distillation: A third way to
avoid fluoride from the tap is to purchase a distillation
unit. Water distillation will remove most, if not all, of
the fluoride. The price for a distillation unit varies
widely depending on the size. Small counter-top units cost
as little as $200, while large units can exceed $1,000.
If you don't know if your area is fluoridated, you can find
out by contacting your local water department. If you live in
the US, you can also find out by going to FAN's
State
Fluoride Database.
2) Don't Let Your Child Swallow Fluoride Toothpaste
Fluoride toothpaste is often the largest single source of
fluoride intake for young children, and is a major risk factor
for disfiguring dental fluorosis. This is because children
swallow a large amount of the paste that they put in their
mouth. In fact, research has shown that it is not uncommon for
young children to swallow more fluoride from toothpaste alone
than is recommended as an entire day's ingestion from all
sources.
If you have a young child, therefore, we recommend that you
use a non-fluoride toothpaste. If, however, you do use fluoride
toothpaste, it's very important that you supervise your children
while they brush to make sure they use no more than a "pea-sized
amount" of paste, and that they fully rinse and spit and after
they finish. And, lastly, do not purchase candy-flavored
toothpaste (e.g., bubble-gum and watermelon) as these
toothpastes (which still contain adult-strength concentrations
of fluoride) increase the risk that your children will swallow
it (and actually want to swallow it).
3) Do NOT Get Fluoride Gel Treatments at the Dentist
Although dental researchers have stated on numerous occasions
that fluoride gel treatment should ONLY be used for patients at
highest risk of cavities, many dentists continue to apply
fluoride gels irrespective of the patient's cavity risk. The
fluoride gel procedure requires the patient to clamp down on a
tray for 4 minutes and uses an extremely concentrated, acidic
fluoride gel (12,300 ppm).
Because of the fluoride gel's high acidity, the saliva glands
produce a large amount of saliva during the treatment, which
makes it extremely difficult (both for children and adults) to
avoid swallowing the gel.
Even when dentists use precautionary measures such as suction
devices, children and adults still ingest significant quantities
of the paste, which can cause incredibly high spikes of fluoride
in the blood (for up to 15 hours). These fluoride levels place
patients, particularly children, at risk for stomach pain,
nausea, and vomiting, and places a person at risk for short-term
kidney damage, harm to the reproductive system, and impairment
to glucose metabolism. The next time your dentist asks you
whether you want a fluoride gel treatment, say NO.
4) Eat More Fresh, Less Processed Food
When water is fluoridated, it is not just the water that is
fluoridated, but all beverages and foods that are made with the
water. As a general rule, therefore, the more processed a food
is, the more fluoride it has. The good news is that the
naturally occurring levels of fluoride in most fresh water
(e.g., spring water) and most fresh food (e.g., fruits,
vegetables, grain, eggs, milk) are very low.
Use this fact to your advantage by trying to shift as much as
you can from processed foods to fresh. Also, since processed
beverages (e.g., sodas, reconstituted juices, and sports drinks)
contribute far more to fluoride intake than processed foods, it
is most important to focus on reducing your consumption of
processed beverages. For more detailed information on how you
can cut down on your fluoride intake from processed foods, see "FAN's
Grocery Store Guide: 7 Ways to Avoid Fluoride in Beverages and
Food."
5) Buy Organic Grape Juice and Wine
In the US, many vineyards use a fluoride pesticide called
cryolite. As a result, the levels of fluoride in US grape juice
and wine (particularly white grape juice and white wine) are
consistently elevated. Indeed, in 2005, the USDA reported that
the average level of fluoride exceeded 2 ppm for both white wine
and white grape.
The levels of fluoride in red wine are also elevated (1 ppm),
and so are raisins (2.3 ppm). If you buy grape juice and wine,
or if you are a heavy consumer of raisins, buy organic. In the
case of wine, if you don't want to spend the extra money on
organic ones, consider purchasing a European brand, as Europe
uses far less cryolite than the US.
6) Reduce Your Tea Consumption (and/or Drink Tea with
Younger Leaves)
Be careful of drinking too much tea, particularly bottled and
instant varieties. The tea plant accumulates high levels of
fluoride, and excess intake of tea is known to cause a painful
bone disease called skeletal fluorosis. Some teas though contain
high levels of health-boosting antioxidants. Not only are
antioxidants good for health in general, they also help to
protect you from fluoride toxicity.
In the ideal scenario, one could drink tea with high levels
of antioxidants but low levels of fluoride. Recent research
suggests that this might be a somewhat obtainable goal. It has
recently been shown that the antioxidant levels in tea are far
higher in young leaves, than old leaves. This is important
because young leaves also happen to have lower levels of
fluoride. Indeed, it has been proposed that the fluoride content
of tea is an indicator of its quality: the higher the fluoride,
the lower the quality, and vice versa.
If you love tea, therefore, try to purchase varieties that
are made from young leaves (e.g., "White tea"). This will allow
you to maximize tea's known benefits, while reducing its known
harm. Towards this end, avoid bottled and instant teas, as they
have been to contain low-quality leaves that have very low
levels of antioxidants. With bottled and instant tea, therefore,
you get the risk (fluoride) without the benefit (antioxidants).
Another option is to drink yerba mate a caffeinated herbal tea
from South America that contains very low levels of fluoride (<
0.2 ppm).
7) Avoid Cooking with Non-Stick Pans
Some research has found that cooking with non-stick-coated
pans can significantly increase the fluoride content of food. If
you have non-stick pans, consider switching to ceramic or
another type of safe pan.
8) Don't Take Cipro and Be Mindful of Other Fluorinated
Pharmaceuticals
Many pharmaceuticals are fluorinated, which means they
contain something called a "carbon-fluorine bond." Although the
carbon-fluoride bond is strong enough to resist breaking down
within the body, this is not always the case. Some fluorinated
drugs have been found to metabolize into fluoride within the
body and this greatly increases a person's exposure to fluoride.
The most notable example is Cipro. Other fluorinated
chemicals that are currently known to break down into fluoride
include fluorinated anesthetics (Isoflurane and Sevoflurane),
Niflumic acid, Flecainide, and Voriconazole. If you are taking
any of these drugs, find out if there are any safer alternatives
available.
9) Minimize Consumption of Mechanically-Deboned Chicken
Most meats that are pulverized into a pulp form (e.g.,
chicken fingers, chicken nuggets) are made using a mechanical
deboning process. This mechanical deboning process increases the
quantity of bone particles in the meat. Since bone is the main
site of fluoride accumulation in the body, the higher levels of
bone particle in mechanically deboned meat results in
significantly elevated fluoride levels. Of all the meats that
are mechanically deboned, chicken meat has consistently been
found to have the highest levels. Thus, minimize consumption of
mechanically deboned chicken.
10) Avoid Fluoridated Salt
If you live in a country that allows fluoridated salt to be
sold, make sure the salt you buy is unfluoridated. Consumption
of fluoridated salt can greatly increase a person's fluoride
exposure. To see a list of countries that allow fluoridated
salt,
click here. (From:
www.fluoridealert.org)
To Protect Your Health, Avoid Fluoride
No matter which scientific studies you examine or which
population trends you view, the rational conclusion is that
fluoride's health dangers far outweigh the marginal dental benefits
it might offer. Dental caries can be effectively prevented
with means other than fluoridation, thereby avoiding the
adverse effects of fluoride. It's important to realize that fluoride
is a cumulative toxin, which over time can lead to serious
health concerns, from hypothyroidism to skeletal fluorosis, and much
more.
The neurological effects are particularly disconcerting. As
mentioned, 45 human studies now link moderately high fluoride
exposures with reduced IQ.17
We cannot afford to ignore such warnings! Water fluoridation needs
to stop. The question is how. Despite all the evidence,
getting fluoride out of American water supplies has been exceedingly
difficult. It's not impossible, however, as evidenced in areas that
have successfully abolished water fluoridation.
According to the late Jeff Green, National Director of Citizens
for Safe Drinking Water, a repeated theme in the cases where
communities successfully removed fluoride from their water supply is
the shifting of the burden of proof.
Rather than citizens taking on the burden of proving that
fluoride is harmful and shouldn't be added, a more successful
strategy has been to hold those making claims, and the elected
officials who rely on them, accountable for delivering proof that
the specific fluoridation chemical being used fulfills their health
and safety claims, and is in compliance with all regulations, laws,
and risk assessments already required for safe drinking
water. To learn more, please see this previous
article, which discusses these strategies more in-depth.
Help End the Practice of Fluoridation
There's no doubt about it: fluoride should not be ingested.
Even scientists from the EPA's National Health and Environmental
Effects Research Laboratory have classified fluoride as a "chemical
having substantial evidence of developmental neurotoxicity."
Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 41 percent of American adolescents now have dental
fluorosis unattractive discoloration and mottling of the teeth
that indicate overexposure to fluoride. Clearly, children are being
overexposed, and their health and development put in jeopardy.
Why?
The only real solution is to stop the archaic practice of water
fluoridation in the first place. Fortunately, the Fluoride Action
Network has a game plan to END water fluoridation worldwide. Clean
pure water is a prerequisite to optimal health. Industrial
chemicals, drugs, and other toxic additives really have no place in
our water supplies. So, please, protect your drinking water and
support the fluoride-free movement by making a tax-deductible
donation to the Fluoride Action Network today.
FAN's latest campaign is to run both billboards and posters
depicting a young girl drinking a glass of water with the legend,
"Do you really want her drinking a neurotoxic chemical?" The
fluoridation proponents have no answer to this. You can see a copy
of the billboard currently on display in the Tacoma, Washington area
by going to
www.FluorideACTION.net. For more information on the billboard
contact Stuart Cooper at
stuart@fluoridealert.org and on the poster contact Ellen Connett
at
ellen@fluoridealert.org.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I encourage you to visit the website of the
Fluoride Action Network
(FAN) and visit the links below:
10 Facts
About Fluoride: Attorney Michael Connett summarizes 10 basic
facts about fluoride that should be considered in any discussion
about whether to fluoridate water. Also see
10 Facts Handout (PDF).
Health Effects Database: FAN's database sets forth the
scientific basis for concerns regarding the safety and
effectiveness of ingesting fluorides. They also have a
Study Tracker
with the most up-to-date and comprehensive source for studies on
fluoride's effects on human health.
Together, Let's Help FAN Get the Funding They Deserve
In my opinion, there are very few NGOs that are as effective and
efficient as FAN. Its small team has led the charge to end
fluoridation and will continue to do so with our help!
Please make a donation today to help FAN end the absurdity of
fluoridation.