Flouridation: Toxic and Ineffective

It’s in much of our state’s drinking water. Health and enviro groups are increasingly opposing it.

opinion by Emily Kalweit, contributor

Within the 2000 legislative session, the Washington State Dental Association tried and failed to promote a bill that would have mandated fluoridation for most of Washington State’s population. This year, this organization will aggressively lobby for a bill requiring that state agencies analyze the cost benefits of fluoridation.

This bill may sound harmless enough to some, but the fact is, WSDA is again reaching for ways to whitewash this poorly-examined health program—a program that has come under serious scrutiny and criticism the past several years.

WSDA continues to blindly ignore the challenges made by health professionals, environmentalists and citizen advocates who cite serious environmental and health repercussions from fluoridation. One can only wonder why the Washington State Dental Association fails treview pertinent information that is continually emerging about fluoridation’s toxicity and ineffectiveness. Here are a few points that have seemingly escaped their attention:

The compounds used to fluoridate municipal water sources are recovered pollution from the phosphate fertilizer industry, and include lead, arsenic and other hazardous substances. The city of Seattle uses more than 290,000 gallons of this unprocessed industrial waste in its water supplies each year. Do our local waterways, which rank 6th in the nation for carcinogenic discharges, need this additional burden of toxins?

Independent lab analyses have demonstrated that fluoride exposure is excessive and out of control for both children and adults. Our children often get more fluoride from foods and beverages than a doctor could prescribe, due to fluoride-based pesticides, and processing with fluoridated water. This is a serious problem when you consider that fluoride has a very small margin of safety.

Rates of dental fluorosis in our kids have risen dramatically in recent years, a clear sign of excessive fluoride exposure. Medically defined as “chronic fluorine poisoning,” fluorosis permanently discolors and scars teeth, is costly trepair, and can damage children psychologically. This fact prompted California to establish a lower maximum contaminant level for fluoride than the rest of the nation.

The national Sierra Club has issued a position statement, citing “valid concerns regarding the potential adverse impact of fluoridation on the environment, wildlife and human health.”

British Columbia has set its recommended ambient water quality criteria for fluoride in fresh water at 0.2—0.3 ppm, based on studies performed here in the Northwest. These reputable studies have shown that modest concentrations of fluoride in streams and rivers cause increased salmon mortality and embryodeformities. There is no question that adding fluoride to drinking water elevates the fluoride levels of our streams and rivers—water treatment plants cannot remove it.

Groups that have spoken out against fluoridation within the past couple of years are California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG), Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), NTEU Chapter 280—an organization that represents and consists of all scientists and other professionals at EPA headquarters in Washington DC; Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Preventive Medical Association, Citizens for Health, and International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. Individuals within these groups—Waste Action Project, the Willamette Riverkeepers, the Columbia Riverkeepers, Science and Environmental Health Network, and Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, have spoken out against fluoridation also.

According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, fluoride’s benefit comes from its direct, topical action on teeth, not from ingesting (swallowing) it systemically, as previously believed.

Results from The Washington State Children’s Dental Health Survey performed by the University of Washington Clinical Dental Research Center in 1995 demonstrate that tooth decay rates vary widely in Washington without regard to fluoridation status.

Legitimate health concerns persist as more and more peer-reviewed studies are published, linking fluoride accumulation to aggravation of existing illnesses, inhibition of enzyme activities, thyroid disease, bone cancer, arthritis, hip fracture, genetic damage, and higher blood lead levels as well as diminished IQ and behavioral problems in children.

Take action today and contact your local senator and representative. Share with him or her these serious concerns about fluoridation, and request that fluoridation’s environmental and health consequences be re-evaluated. Water is precious.

For more information, contact Washington Citizens for Safe Drinking Water:

www.keepersofthewell.org/Washington.html