Alternative Perspective

Is Fluoride all it’s cracked up to be?

By Tammera J. Karr, Ph.D, BCIH, CNC, CNW, CNH

Back in the Stone Age when I was in sixth grade (1976) the health nurse would bring in a bottle of fluoride rinse for each of the students to use after lunch. I lasted about three applications, went home and told my mom it was making me sick. Mom loved nothing more than to wade into popular topics with unpopular ideas…. Needless to say I was excused from fluoride treatments. Today I now know I wasn’t alone in this, my body knew a poison when it saw one.

In 2005, I read Christopher Bryson’s book, “the Fluoride Deception”, and learned just how dangerous this dental cavity cure is. Every dentist should be required to read this book before they hand out what the Fluoride Action Network, call government sanctioned rat poison for children.  Check it out yourself at: http://www.fluoridealert.org/.

Fluoridation was first advanced in the U.S. at the end of the Second World War.  In September of 1955, Martin vs. Reynolds made national headlines as the first class action lawsuit in America. Paul Martin a Troutdale Oregon rancher took RJ Reynolds to court over the loss of his health, his family’s and the loss of his livestock herd from fluoride poisoning. Martin’s case stunned corporate America, until then no U.S. court had ruled that industrial fluoride emissions caused harm to humans. Reynolds Metals was joined in court by six aluminum and chemical companies, including Monsanto and Alcoa.

Dr. Donald Hunter, one of England’s leading medical authorities, was presented as Martin’s medical expert. Dr Hunter told the Portland, Oregon jurors and judge; “fluorine compounds are deadly poisons to mammalian tissues, and man is a mammal just as much as a cow or sheep”, he explained.  Fluoride is so dangerous, Hunter said, “because it is an enzyme poison and without enzymes you have no life”.

However, big business has deep pockets and resources to insure an industry was developed for the disposal of their toxic poison. During the decades which followed, fluoride was added to public water supplies across the country, due to advocacy that fluoride in water and toothpaste would protect teeth and prevent decay.

While the benefits of fluoridation have been held to be unquestionable, accumulating evidence points to a frightening prospect: that fluoride may have serious adverse health effects, including infant mortality, congenital defects and diminished IQ.

Advocates of fluoridated water insist that the chemical additive is good for teeth, but actual science routinely shows otherwise, including a new study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association confirming fluoride as a toxic substance that actually destroys teeth, particularly those of developing young children and babies.

Elevated levels of fluoride in the blood lower the availability of calcium to the body, which can impair cardiac function; “the elastic properties of the ascending aorta are impaired in patients with endemic fluorosis. Thus sub-acute exposures to fluoride may manifest as cardiac dysfunction, potentially increasing future risks of cardiac-related problems”. (Science of the Total Environment 408(11): 2295-2298)

• Fluoride increases serum lead concentrations
• Bone strength decreases with increasing bone fluoride level.
• Over-consumption of fluoride is an issue of concern worldwide, as fluoride has been linked to adverse health effects such as dental fluorosis, reduced thyroid function, weakened bones, skeletal fluorosis, and reduced intelligence.
• Despite repeated warnings that humans, particularly children, are currently receiving too much fluoride from their diets, fluoride pesticides continue to be added to the food supply under extremely lax regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Inverse association between urine fluoride levels and IQ: a 0.59-point decrease in IQ was observed for each 1 mg/L increase in urine fluoride. Sun D. 2010

Currently, the main fluoride pesticide used in the U.S. is cryolite (sodium aluminum fluoride). The EPA currently allows up to 7 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride on over 30 fruits and vegetables. This applies to: apricots, beets, blackberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, citrus fruits, collards, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplants, grapes, kale, lettuce, melons, nectarines, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, squash, strawberries, tomatoes and turnip.  A standard of 2 ppm has also been established for potatoes, which are second to grapes for total cryolite usage.

In the United States, the primary source of ingested fluoride is fluoridated water, including that used in the preparation of foods and other beverages. For many infants, formula is a major source of nutrition, and this formula is often reconstituted with fluoridated tap water. The concentration of fluoride in infant formulas reconstituted with “optimally” fluoridated water is up to 200 times greater than that found in breast milk.

Researchers found fluoride in chicken products frequently eaten by children but not listed on labels, e.g. pureed chicken, chicken sticks, and luncheon meat made with mechanically-separated chicken. Fluoride-containing bone-dust invariably gets into the finished product.  (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry September, 2001).(3)

Commonly-consumed infant fruit juices contain fluoride, some at levels higher than recommended for public water supplies which can damage teeth, according to research to be presented on March 17, 2011 at the International Association for Dental Research annual meeting in San Diego. “Children who consume excessive amounts of juice per day may be ingesting more fluoride than the recommended daily intake.”

“WARNING: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.” FDA Mandated Warning on Fluoride Toothpaste Labels Sold in U.S.

“The early recommendations concerning ‘optimal levels’ of fluoride in water have not been reviewed since [water fluoridation began], despite developments which could drastically alter the underlying assumption that fluoride intake from sources other than drinking water is relatively low. Also, dehydrated and reconstituted food products, virtually unknown to consumers in the 1940s when most of the fluoride surveys were done, are today commonplace. As a result, although orange juice and potatoes are inherently poor sources of fluoride, this is no longer so if they have been concentrated and reconstituted with fluoridated water.” – Prival M, Fisher F. (1974). Adding Fluorides to the Diet. Environment 16(5): 29-33.

“ The FDA should examine the testing and labeling of [juices and sodas] with respect to fluoride concentration so that practitioners and consumers can make an informed choice. Thorough washing of grapes should occur to eliminate any insecticide contamination of the juice. Manufacturers and bottlers should identify sources of fluoride within their products, and when necessary, reduce fluoride content to age-appropriate levels, as recommended by the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists.” – Stannard JG, et al. (1991). Fluoride levels and fluoride contamination of fruit juices. Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry 16(1):38-40.

“[W]e recommend that dentists who are considering prescribing dietary fluoride supplements for those with non-fluoridated water inquire about young children’s fluoride exposure from all important sources, including dentrifice, infant formula (type, brand, and quantity), water (sources, quantities and filtration system) and beverages (including specific juices and juice-flavored drinks).” – Kiritsy MC, et al. (1996). Assessing fluoride concentrations of juices and juice-flavored drinks. Journal of the American Dental Association 127(7):895-902.

Back in the 1940’s folks were not eating at MacDonald’s, Taco Bell, or easy to heat microwavable prepackaged foods. A carrot was from the garden or local truck farm, the milk was from a dairy close by and Mom made the bread.

When we eat real foods, from locally owned growers, the inherent dangers to our health decline.

To your fluoride free good health!