Fluoride - Yes or No!

I recently came under fire because I choose to drink reverse osmosis water which does not have fluoride in it.

Two of my four grandchildren have had quite a difficult time with dental problems and of course condemnation was issued because we do not drink fluoride in my family nor does my daughter's family.

"That's why they are having such a difficult time with their teeth" I was told. "They need the fluoride".

Fluorosilicic acid, the additive generally used to fluoridate water supplies, is not purified and contains traces of both lead and arsenic, a carcinogen. The ingredient is a byproduct of fertilizer production.

If I don't let my dog walk on lawns that have been sprayed with fertilizer why on earth would I want to drink a byproduct of that same product?????????

When my children were growing up we all drank fluoridated water (the efficacy of it had not been discussed 30 years ago) and interestingly Sebrina has never had a cavity, Todd struggled terribly with many, many cavities and has heavily restored teeth today. He still drinks fluoridated tap water and continues to have problems with his teeth. I also grew up on fluoridated tap water. I lost my upper teeth about 10 years ago due to heavily restored teeth which resulted in multiple fractures in my upper molars and when I was growing up there was no such thing as bottled or filtered water.

As well do I not have the right to maintain my health without confrontation from anyone? It is after all MY health. Even my medical doctor does not challenge me anymore on decisions I make regarding my health.

Here is just a very small amount of an article issued by the American Dental Association on why fluoride is dangerous to children under one.

This article specifically states why fluoride is unsafe for children under one, however the website http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/index.html offers much more information on the dangers of fluoride. This was issued by ADA American Dental Association:

This directive was issued recently by an unlikely source: the American Dental Association (ADA). In a November 9th email alert sent to all of its members, the ADA noted that "Infants less than one year old may be getting more than the optimal amount of fluoride if their primary source of nutrition is powdered or liquid infant formula mixed with water containing fluoride." The ADA went on to advise: "If using a product that needs to be reconstituted, parents and caregivers should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride."


The ADA issued this advice because babies exposed to fluoridated water are at high risk for developing dental fluorosis—a defect of the teeth which can result in staining and even corrosion of the enamel. In addition, on October 14th, the Food and Drug Administration stated that fluoridated water marketed to infants cannot claim to reduce the risk of cavities.
Dental fluorosis is not the only risk stemming from a baby's exposure to fluoride. In the same week that ADA issued its advisory, an article in the British journal, The Lancet, reported that fluoride may damage a child's developing brain. The Lancet review described fluoride, along with the rocket fuel additive perchlorate, as an "emerging neurotoxic substance" due to evidence linking fluoride to lower IQs in children, and brain damage in animals.
"Newborn babies have undeveloped brains, and exposure to fluoride, a suspected neurotoxin, should be avoided," notes Hardy Limeback, a member of a 2006 National Research Council panel on fluoride toxicity, and former President of the Canadian Association of Dental Research.

Fluoride is linked with other health problems as well, including weakened bones, reduced thyroid activity, and possibly, bone cancer in boys, according to a recent report from a team of Harvard scientists, the US National Research Council and other recent studies.
While most of western Europe has abandoned the practice of adding fluoride to water, most US water supplies remain fluoridated. In addition, some brands of bottled water sold in the US, such as Nursery Water, specifically market fluoridated water for young babies.


A recent investigation by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that over-exposure to fluoride among infants is a widespread problem in most major American cities. EWG's study found that, on any given day, up to 60% of formula-fed babies in US cities were exceeding the Institute of Medicine's "upper tolerable" limit for fluoride. "Water is supposed to be safe for everyone. Why add a chemical that makes it knowingly unfit for young children?

We should follow Europe's lead and end fluoridation," says Michael Connett, Project Director of the Fluoride Action Network.

Another portion of this same website talks about the case before the Public Health Council in New Jersey. Opponents to fluoridated water are fighting to have it taken out of their water. Presently only 15% of New Jersey is now drinking fluoridated water.


"This is a stupid idea from the '60s when we also thought it was okay to spray DDT around our neighborhoods to kill mosquitoes," Jeff Tittle, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, said at the hearing in Ewing Township. One scientist, Richard P. Maas of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, described his new research, not yet published. He said that fluorosilicic acid, when combined with the disinfectant chloramine, creates a "strong chemical synergy" that increases the dissolution of lead in pipes. Chloramine is used by water suppliers. Maas said the institute's tests found that water with both chemicals had three to 10 times the levels of lead as other water. Environmentalists, some scientists and activists -- including one carrying her 5-month-old baby -- spoke harshly against fluoride, claiming the additive does not reduce cavities and has been linked to thyroid disease and bone cancer in young males.

"Water is supposed to be safe for everyone. Why add a chemical that makes it knowingly unfit for young children? We should follow Europe's lead and end fluoridation," says Michael Connett, Project Director of the Fluoride Action Network.