Here are ten questions and answers concerning fluoride and the fluoridation of water. For a deeper understanding of the affects of water fluoridation the reader is referred to the book ‘Fluoride: Drinking Ourselves to Death’ by Barry Groves.
1. What is fluoride?
Fluoride (F–) is the ionised (charged) form of the metal element fluorine (F). Fluorine is found at the top of group seven of the periodic table. Fluorine is very reactive and so readily combines with metal elements such as sodium and calcium via an ionic bond. This ionised form of fluorine is the form most often found in nature. The element fluorine is a very reactive and poisonous gas, but the chemical properties of fluorine change when it reacts with metals to form a compound. However, fluorine in its ionised form is both acutely and chronically toxic to humans and is a known carcinogen. Fluoride is toxic to humans because it is an inhibitor of a number of enzyme systems, including DNA repair enzymes. Fluoride can accumulate in organs and tissues where it may initiate the disease process.
2. Where is fluoride found?
Fluoride is in almost everything we eat because fluorine in the thirteenth most common element on the planet. Virtually all food and drink contains fluoride, but usually in very small quantities that may not affect health. Tea is a rich source of fluoride because the plant Camellia sinensis is able to bioaccumulate fluoride from the soil. However, fluoride in tea is not though to pose any health problems. This may be because in nature fluoride is usually found in the form of calcium fluoride which is poorly absorbed. This poor absorption is decreased further by a diet high in calcium and magnesium as ions of these metals may form complexes with fluoride in the gut. The fluoride content of food will vary depending on the exposure of the plants to fluoride in the soil and air. Application of insecticide to plants and contaminated water used in food manufacture can increase fluoride exposure.
3. Do I need fluoride?
There is no conclusive proof that fluoride is an essential element in humans and no laboratory has published any data to shown that humans require fluoride in their diet. If it is required it is likely needed in only very small quantities, and more than enough is absorbed as calcium fluoride in normal food and drink. Many experiments have been done to assess the effects of fluoride deficiencies on animals, but results are inconclusive and suffer from methodological flaws in some cases. There is no known fluoride deficiency disease in humans, and eliminating fluoride from the diet is very difficult due to its ubiquitous nature. Based on the data that shows that fluoride is able to inhibit a number of important enzyme systems and inhibit DNA repair, it is highly likely that fluoride is not required for human health.
4. So why do they put fluoride in the drinking water?
The fluoridation of drinking water has more to do with politics than nutrition. In fact, it has nothing to do with nutrition at all. The reason we are told that fluoride is present in drinking water is to harden the enamel of teeth in children and prevent dental caries. However, the evidence for this is weak, unscientific and based on questionable methodology. No laboratory study has ever shown that fluoride at the concentration in drinking water (~1 part per million) prevents dental caries. Recent data looking into the issue of fluoridation has shown that there is little actual benefit to fluoridating water, and some studies have found that people living in areas with fluoridated drinking water actually have worse teeth that those living in fluoride free areas. Many European countries have either ceased fluoridation programmes or never began them.
5. How much fluoride is toxic?
There is no evidence that any amount of fluoride is safe. Fluoride is added to drinking water at around 1 to 2 parts per million, which is equivalent to 1 or 2 mg/L. It is recommended that no more that around 3 to 4 mg of fluoride are consumed per day for adults, as above this the risk of toxicity increases significantly. This would equate to around 3 or 4 litres of tap water per day. However, the toxic dose would be much lower in young children, due to smaller body size, and should also take into account other sources of ingestion such as accidentally swallowing tooth paste, food and other sources of liquids. Continuous ingestion of more than 1 part per million (1 mg/L) can lead to mottled enamel in sensitive children. Hydrogen fluoride can also be absorbed from the air via the lungs, and in some polluted industrial areas this can contribute to the daily intake.
6. What do they put in the water?
The fluoride they put in the water is usually a synthetically produced chemical called hexafluorosilicic acid. But it is not produced under controlled conditions in a laboratory to pharmaceutical purity. It is a by-product of industry and if it was not put in drinking water would be classified as a waste chemical that would require specialist disposal. Hexafluorosilicic acid is often contaminated with heavy metals. Disposal is expensive, and it is far cheaper to sell it to water companies so that it can be disposed of in people, including children. Hexafluorosilicic acid is much better absorbed than natural calcium fluoride and this produces a much higher risk of toxicity for adults, and especially children. The use of a more absorbable form of fluoride in water fluoridation also brings into question safety data based on calcium fluoride in naturally fluoridated water. Sodium fluoride, an insecticide and rat poison, is sometimes used to fluoridate water.
7. What are the toxic effects and fluoride
Acute poisoning as can occur in cases of industrial spillage and poisoning with fluoride containing insecticide result is salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased irritability, convulsions and death. Fluoride in concentrations above 1 mg per day can start to produce toxic effects in sensitive humans. Chronic exposure that might occur through drinking water can cause osteosclerosis, a thickening of the long bones, and dental fluorosis, a mottling of tooth enamel. Mottled tooth enamel manifests as small paper white areas over the tooth and in severe cases may cause the formation of black pits. No long-term studies have been done to test the effects of exposure to hexafluorosilicic acid in drinking water but it is thought likely to increase the risk of cancer and neurological problems. The acute toxicity of fluoride is demonstrated by its use as an insecticide and poison in pest control.
8. What are the ethical implications of fluoridation of water?
There are two ethical problems that strongly argue against the fluoridation of water. Firstly, because fluoride is not an essential element in humans, the fluoridation of drinking water is administration of a drug. Fluoride in water is added for its pharmacological effects and as such is a medicine. Its is unethical to medicate without consent and therefore morally reprehensible to fluoridate water. Secondly, fluoride is added to water allegedly to improve the teeth of children, but at the same time all adults are medicated for no good reason. Therefore based on the Hippocratic oath taken by all doctors, those that advocate the fluoridation of drinking water are breaking their oath and should be stripped of their licence to practice. However, the fluoridation lobby is powerful and has placed its sycophantic agents in positions of power to support its case.
9. Should I avoid tap water that is fluoridated.
Yes, absolutely you should. Hexafluorosilicic acid is a toxic substance to humans and has no place in human nutrition. Water containing natural calcium fluoride at around 1 part per million, as is found in Uttoxeter, Hartlepool and other places in the United Kingdom is acceptable to drink as it is so poorly absorbed. However artificially fluoridated water containing hexafluorosilicic acid should be avoided, especially by children. Fluoride containing toothpaste should also be avoided, because there is no evidence that application of fluoride to teeth prevents decay. The only way to affect teeth with fluoride is to ingest it. Fluoride in tooth paste therefore exposes children to unnecessary risk because it is of no benefit to their teeth, but can easily be ingested accidently, at levels that would require hospitalisation for acute poisoning.
10. What are the alternatives if I choose to avoid fluoridated water?
If the individual chooses to avoid fluoridated water, there are a number of ways to minimise fluoride exposure. Eating a high calcium diet or supplementing with calcium and magnesium can limit the absorption of fluoride and may also inhibit the deposition of fluoride in bone, as evidenced in rat studies. Avoiding the source of the water can also decrease exposure. Filtering water does not remove the fluoride, and the only way to do this is to use reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis devices can be fitted to the mains pipe work and the water dispensed from the tap as normal. Bottled water is also a way to avoid fluoridated water, as long as it is a reputable brand. Generally the fluoride in bottled water will be natural calcium fluoride and will be very poorly absorbed.
RdB
