Fluoride is being added to children’s milk in 42 schools throughout the city of Sheffield in the UK, despite the chemical’s known links to liver and kidney damage, cancer and the lowering of IQ. Fluoride has been proven to have a minimal effect in the prevention of tooth decay, but according to several medical studies, the negative effects of the chemical are legion, far outweighing any positive aspects.
A recent study concluded that fluoride can subtly alter endocrine function, especially in the thyroid -- the gland that produces hormones regulating growth and metabolism.
Sources:
Prison Planet October 27, 2008
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Fluoride, one of the most consumed drugs in the United States, is deliberately added to about two-thirds of U.S. public water supplies, theoretically to reduce tooth decay, even though there’s no scientifically-valid evidence proving either safety or effectiveness.
Adding fluoride to milk will only increase the toxic burden on children’s growing bodies.
Ironically, yet fortunately, the calcium in milk will actually make it more difficult for your child’s body to absorb the fluoride.
Why Do We Fluoridate Drinking Water if It’s Not Good For Us?
The commonly repeated history of how water fluoridation came to be, states that the practice was spurred on by 1930’s research findings that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay, which was, and is, a common health problem.
However, evidence points to it being little more than a well-orchestrated PR stunt to aid an industry in trouble – another glowing example of the art of disseminating “adjustable truths,” to sell an inconveniently toxic reality to an unsuspecting public.
Some pro-fluoride advocates go so far as to try to make you believe that fluoride is a nutrient – a supplement that naturally helps build strong teeth and bones. One such example is the Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and the Council, which lists “fluoride” as one of only 28 vitamins and minerals permissible for sale for human consumption within the European Union.
But let’s make this point clear right from the start: fluoride is not an essential nutrient, and is NOT something you should use as a supplement to your diet.
The truth is that the facts behind the endorsement of fluoride for public health have been shrouded by fraudulent science on behalf of extremely powerful political forces with financial and political agendas.
Prior to 1945 when communal water fluoridation took effect, fluoride was a known toxin.
For example, a 1936 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association stated that fluoride at the 1 ppm (part per million) concentration is as toxic as arsenic and lead.
The Journal of the American Medical Association stated in their September 18, 1943 issue, that fluorides are general protoplasmic poisons that change the permeability of the cell membrane by certain enzymes.
And, an editorial published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, October 1, 1944, stated,
"Drinking water containing as little as 1.2 ppm fluoride will cause developmental disturbances. We cannot run the risk of producing such serious systemic disturbances. The potentialities for harm outweigh those for good."
More recently, Christopher Bryson, award winning journalist and former producer at the BBC revealed the multi-tiered abuse of power by military and industry scientists and public health officials in his book The Fluoride Deception.
In it, he describes the intertwined interests that existed in the 1940’s and 50’s between the aluminum industry, the U.S. nuclear weapons program, and the dental industry, which resulted in fluoride being falsely declared not only safe, but beneficial to human health.
What is ‘Fluoride’?
Unless you have a strong background in the scientific field, you might not realize that there’s no such thing as plain “fluoride.” What is generically referred to as fluoride (or fluorine) is rather one of several types of fluoride compounds.
Some fluorides are natural; found in the earth’s crust and in your teeth and bones. Other types of fluoride are toxic chemical waste products.
One of the points made by many pro-fluoride advocates is that fluoride is a natural mineral found in human teeth and bones. Therefore, adding fluoride, whether through your diet or via topical applications, is a good thing, as it should help re-mineralize your bones and teeth.
But this is where you need to remember how good deception works.
A good fib must always start with a truth, or else no one will listen to you – at least not for long. So, as long as you start with the truth, you can then bend and twist it around to serve your own means, and most people won’t notice that the story has veered so far from reality that the original statement is no longer applicable.
This is how most misinformation campaigns work.
Why Do They Say Fluoride is Good For Your Teeth?
The natural form of mineral fluoride found both in nature, and in your teeth and bones, is called Apatite. It’s a mineral found in many areas of the world, and although it is often regarded as a single mineral, it is usually divided into three mineral sub-groups:
Fluorapatite (calcium fluoro-phosphate)
Chlorapatite (calcium chloro-phosphate)
Hydroxyl-apatite (basic calcium phosphate)
Inside your mouth, there is a natural equilibrium between hydroxyl-apatite (calcium phosphate) dissolving and forming in your tooth enamel from substances occurring naturally in your saliva. Like everything else, your diet and various physical conditions shift this equilibrium back and forth constantly. When you have more calcium phosphate dissolving than being adhered, you end up with a demineralization condition called caries. This is when cavities form in your teeth.
However, this is where the truth about fluoride’s benefits end and the LIES begin.
(An ironic side note is that the name Apatite stems from the Greek word apate, which means “deceit.” It originally got its name because it has a similar appearance to many other minerals, but if you believe in fateful signs then this would certainly fit the bill, because the deceit behind fluoride runs deep.)
Okay, So What’s REALLY Added to Your Water?
When “fluoride” is added to your drinking water, it’s NOT the natural mineral. It’s usually not even a pharmaceutical grade fluoride. Instead, the fluoride in question is another chemical fluoride compound – the toxic waste product from phosphate fertilizer plants.
There are three basic compound commonly used for fluoridating water supplies:
Sodium fluoride (NaF)
Sodium silicofluoride
Hydrofluorosilicic acid
The first one of these, sodium fluoride, is pharmaceutical grade. It’s the most well known, as this is the compound used in toxicology studies and other research into the potential health dangers of fluoride.
The other two, sodium silicofluoride and hydrofluorosilicic acid, are the compounds used for water fluoridation, with hydrofluorosilicic acid being the most commonly used additive, according to the CDC.
Sodium silicofluoride and hydrofluorosilicic acid are the waste products from the wet scrubbing systems of the fertilizer industry, and are classified as hazardous wastes.
Why Water Fluoridation May be Even MORE Hazardous Than Research Suggests!
Another tidbit that is not talked about openly is the fact that these hazardous industrial wastes – the fluoride compounds actually added to your water -- have NEVER been fully tested to ascertain their full potential health hazard.
Instead, the pharmaceutical grade sodium fluoride is used in the majority of studies evaluating the risk to human health.
Numerous studies have already identified sodium fluoride as a toxic agent, capable of doing irreparable harm to your body. The industrial fluorides, however, have been shown to act differently from the simpler sodium fluoride.
Therefore, the REAL danger to your health may be far GREATER than what any of the studies done so far have shown, which include the following health hazards:
Increases lead absorption
Disrupts synthesis of collagen
Hyperactivity and/or lethargy
Muscle disorders
Brain damage, and lowered IQ
Arthritis
Dementia
Bone fractures
Lowers thyroid function
Bone cancer (osteosarcoma)
Inactivates 62 enzymes
Inhibits formation of antibodies
Genetic damage and cell death
Increases tumor and cancer rate
Disrupts immune system
Damages sperm and increases infertility
Do You Know How Much Fluoride You’re Ingesting, or Giving Your Children Each Day?
When water fluoridation first began, the “optimal” level of fluoride for dental benefit was said to be 1 mg/day for an adult male, based on the estimate that the average adult male drank one liter of water per day. However, even at that level, 10 percent of the population (those in the high-risk group) was expected to get fluorosis.
Add to that the fact that we’re now exposed to multiple other sources containing fluoride -- whereas in the 1940’s other sources of fluoride were scarce – and you have the potential for massive fluoride overdosing.
A 1991 review by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows just how drastic your overexposure might be when taking multiple sources into account.
Fluoride exposure levels for a 110-pound adult from food, beverages, toothpaste, and mouthwash
Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water - Total Fluoride Intake - Percentage Over 1 mg "Optimal" Dosage
Unfluoridated Communities < 0.3 mg/L 0.88 - 2.20 mg/day as much as 120 %
"Optimally" Fluoridated 0.7-1.2 mg/L 1.58 - 6.60 mg/day as much as 560 %
Fluoridated communities > 2.0 mg/L 2.10 - 7.05 mg/day possible > 605 %
Although you may not know it, you are exposed to fluoride from many sources other than the obvious lineup of toothpastes and mouth rinses.
Dentists may also apply professional strength fluoride treatments, or they may (unwisely) prescribe daily fluoride supplements, and other, far less obvious sources of fluoride include:
Food and beverages processed with fluoridated water;
Mechanically de-boned meat
Pesticide residue on food
Pharmaceutical drugs
Soy baby formulas
Instant tea
The Key to Healthy Teeth is in Your Diet!
If you’re wondering how to keep your teeth healthy, remember that fluoride was never the answer in the first place. Instead, look to your diet for naturally healthy teeth. In fact, most people whose diet includes very little sugar and few processed foods have very low rates of tooth decay.
Limiting, or eliminating sugar, and avoiding processed foods -- along with regular cleanings with your natural dentist -- will ensure that your teeth stay healthy naturally.
How to Remove Fluoride from Your Water Supply
Unfortunately, removing fluoride from your drinking water is a far more difficult feat. Whereas some other chemicals added to your drinking water will evaporate, fluoride is not one of them. Neither cooking, food processing, regular carbon based filtration, nor digestion, will remove fluoride.
The primary method used to remove fluoride from water is by using a reverse osmosis filter.
Please remember that a simple carbon filter will not remove fluoride.
Related Articles:
Fluoride Damages Your Brain!
Is Fluoride Really As Safe As You Are Told?
No More Fluoride Supplements for Young Children
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