1st September 2015
Guest Writer for Wake Up World
After decades of toxic fluoride being added to public water supplies without the public’s consent, we now have significant validation that this practice needs to be stopped.
The Cochrane Collaboration (an international not-for-profit organisation preparing, maintaining and promoting systematic reviews of the effects of health care) has released a comprehensive review of the science of fluoridation, with points that are nearly impossible to dispute. In short, fluoride doesn’t work to prevent cavities and has been proven to cause harm — in the form of dental fluorosis.
Fluorosis – mottled discolorations on teeth – is not purely aesthetic. It’s a visible sign that you’ve been exposed to this known developmental neurotoxin at excessive levels.
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 ingesting fluoride prevents cavities while it was clear that it causes harm (dental fluorosis).
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.
Who Are the Real ‘Conspiracy Theorists’?
Earlier this year, even National Geographic stooped so low as to suggest anyone who questions water fluoridation is a conspiracy theorist.1 Yet, just last year Lancet Neurology released a study, authored by a Harvard doctor, among others, that classified fluoride as a developmental neurotoxin.2
The meta-analysis 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…
Meanwhile, we have visible evidence (dental fluorosis) that US children are being overexposed to fluoride. That fluoride doesn’t just stop at the teeth; it’s being taken internally. It’s no conspiracy theory; it’s a fact that deserves urgent attention and immediate policy review.
Who are the real denialists about fluoride? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Dental Association (ADA), which continue to tout water fluoridation as “safe and effective” even as evidence to the contrary pours in around them.
Eventually, and it appears sooner rather than later, they are going to have to face the damage they have caused to so many children by demanding water fluoridation for all – and continuing to do so rather than admitting their mistake.
Fluoride Is Still Added to Two-Thirds of US Water Supplies
Fluoride is added to two-thirds of US public water supplies, even though it’s been linked to serious health conditions, including damage to your bones, brain, kidneys, thyroid, pineal gland and even, ironically, your teeth.
It wasn’t always this way.3 Water fluoridation began in 1945, even though in 1943 the Journal of the American Medical Association stated fluorides are general protoplasmic poisons that change the permeability of the cell membrane by certain enzymes.4
This poison was added to the water because it was supposed to help prevent tooth decay – and rates of cavities have declined over the last 60 years. But fluoridation doesn’t deserve the credit.
The decline in tooth decay in the US, which is often attributed to fluoridated water, has likewise occurred in all developed countries (most of which do not fluoridate their water). Meanwhile, health risks linked to consuming fluoridated water have grown and, for the proverbial icing on the cake, new research shows there’s hardly any solid data showing water fluoridation is good for your teeth.
The Evidence Is In: Water Fluoridation Does Not Prevent Cavities
The Cochrane Collaboration, which releases comprehensive reviews regarded as the gold standard in assessing public health policies, recently turned their attention to water fluoridation and its effects on cavities.5
In a review of every fluoridation study they could find, only three since 1975 looked at the effectiveness of water fluoridation at reducing tooth decay among the general population and had high enough quality to be included. The studies found fluoridation does not reduce cavities to a statistically significant degree in permanent teeth.6
Further, in the two studies since 1975 that examined the effectiveness of fluoridation in reducing cavities in baby teeth, no significant reduction was noted there either.Study co-author Anne-Marie Glenny, a health science researcher at Manchester University in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek:7
“From the review, we’re unable to determine whether water fluoridation has an impact on caries [cavity] levels in adults.”
While they couldn’t prove that water fluoridation is beneficial, they did find that it causes harm. About 12 percent of those living in fluoridated areas had dental fluorosis that was an “aesthetic concern.”
Dental fluorosis is a condition in which your tooth enamel becomes progressively discolored and mottled, and it’s one of the first signs of over-exposure to fluoride. Eventually, it can result in badly damaged teeth, and, worse, it can also be an indication the rest of your body, such as your bones and internal organs, including your brain, have been overexposed to fluoride as well.
‘Nobody Would Even Think About’ Approving Fluoridation Today
The Cochrane review is only the latest study to question why so many US municipalities are still adding fluoride to drinking water. In 2000, research lead by Trevor Sheldon, the dean of the Hull York Medical School in the United Kingdom, similarly found a lack of reliable evidence showing water fluoridation to be beneficial… along with a strong link to harm (again, dental fluorosis).8 Sheldon told Newsweek:9
“I had assumed because of everything I’d heard that water fluoridation reduces cavities but I was completely amazed by the lack of evidence… My prior view was completely reversed… There’s really hardly any evidence [the practice works]… And if anything there may be some evidence the other way.”
As Newsweek further reported:10
“Sheldon says that if fluoridation were to be submitted anew for approval today, ‘nobody would even think about it’ due to the shoddy evidence of effectiveness and obvious downside of fluorosis.”
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.11 It’s become clear that swallowing fluoride poses little, if any, benefit along with unacceptable risks. Even the topical benefits (such as in fluoride toothpaste) are being questioned.
A 2010 study published in the journal Langmuir, for instance, uncovered that the fluorapatite layer formed on your teeth from fluoride is a mere six nanometers thick12 — you’d need 10,000 of these layers to get the width of a strand of your hair.
Scientists now question whether this ultra-thin layer can actually protect your enamel and provide any discernible benefit, considering the fact that it is quickly eliminated by simple chewing. They wrote: “…it has to be asked whether such narrow… layers really can act as protective layers for the enamel.”
What Are the Health Risks of Swallowing Fluoride?
Dental fluorosis is only one health risk of consuming fluoride. Research conducted earlier this year 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.13
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.14 There are more than 100 published studies illustrating fluoride’s harm to the brain alone, plus 43 more that directly link fluoride exposure to reduced IQ in children Studies have also demonstrated that fluoride toxicity, caused by overexposure, can lead to:
| Increased lead absorption | Disrupted synthesis of collagen | Hyperactivity and/or lethargy | Muscle disorders |
| Bone cancer (osteosarcoma) | Increased tumor and cancer rate | Arthritis | Skeletal fluorosis and bone fractures |
| Genetic damage and cell death | Damaged sperm and increased infertility | Inactivation of 62 enzymes and inhibition of more than 100 | Inhibited formation of antibodies, and immune system disruptions |
Fluoride Is a Cumulative Toxin
Fluoride is a cumulative toxin, which means the more exposure you get, and the longer you get it, the worse your symptoms are likely to be. This is true even in areas where fluoride levels occur in water naturally. Fluoridation advocates often use this to support its safety. However, naturally occurring substances are not automatically safe (think of arsenic, for instance).
Data from India’s Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry indicate that nearly 49 million people are living in areas where fluoride levels in water are above the permissible levels. The World Health Organization recommends fluoride levels in drinking water stay between 0.8 and 1.2 milligrams (mg) per liter, and do not exceed 1.5 mg per liter.
Exposure to levels above this amount may cause pitting of tooth enamel and fluoride deposits in your bones, while exposure to levels above 10 mg per liter may cause crippling skeletal fluorosis, as well as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, seizures and muscle spasms. It’s not only naturally occurring fluoride that can lead to high levels in your water, however.
In one Australian town in 2013, a suspected electrical fault allowed fluoride levels to reach nearly double the guideline amount in local drinking water. The levels may have remained elevated around 2.8 mg per liter for several days. If fluoride exposure is high enough, it can cause irreparable damage to your body. Skeletal fluorosis goes through three stages, which makes sense given fluoride’s cumulative toxicity. According to the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), symptoms of early stage skeletal fluorosis include:
