Artificial Fluoridation in the U.S. began on January 25th, 1945 in Grand Rapids, MI. U.S. This occurred due to several recent studies linking naturally-ocurring fluoride to decreased rates of tooth decay in several cities. Six years later, surveys indicated that decay levels in children decreased which snowballed into fluoridation tests in New York, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. These tests, along with several others were used as evidence as success leading to 24 countries such as the U.S., Singapore, Ireland, Israel, Columbia, Canada, and Australia to artificially add fluoride to their populace. Although this equates to only around 372 million people worldwide (about 6% of total population), many debates, studies, and conspiracy theories have followed fluoridation since its conception. Dissenters from fluoridation argue about possible neurotoxic and endocrine-damaging capabilities. With many scientists and dentists still recommending fluoride, while others condemning its used, this controversy is as prevalent as ever.

Deep Down The Rabbit Hole 🐇

1. Compounds that Contain Fluoride in Nature are Different From Artificial Sources

Naturally-occurring fluoride is found as calcium fluoride. This composition of fluoride was first noticed for its cavity-preventing effects (it should also be noted that calcium is effective for helping teeth as well) and sparked the initial fluoride research frenzy. The three artificial fluorides used in current water treatment are fluorosilicic acid (H2Si6), sodium fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6), and sodium fluoride(NaF). Fluorosilicic acid and sodium fluorosilicate are known as fluorosilicates, which have been examined for their reactive properties to lead and aluminum. These types of fluorides are able to disassociate, meaning that the Fluoride ion is free to react with compounds in the environment such as lead (pipes) or aluminum (pop cans). Fluorosilicates are by-products from the manufacturing of phosphate fertilizers, which has been a cause of controversy due to other by-products being detected such as arsenic. Some research has reported that 90% of the total arsenic contributed by treatment chemicals comes from fluoride addition. Even more disturbing, phosphate ores are known to contain radionuclides which are used as a source of uranium and can be found in fluoride treated water. Sodium fluoride has largely been used as a insecticide and pesticide since 1896 when Charles Henry Higbee discovered that fluoride compounds were effective as a stomach poison to bugs. Sodium fluoride was also observed to interfere with calcium metabolism and enzyme mechanisms. An increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes correlates with an increase in fluoride toxicity. Calcium fluoride has been shown to NOT accumulate within the body and does not cause fluorosis (white, opaque spots on teeth that form due hypomineralization of tooth enamel) unlike the other artificial forms of fluoride. There is a theory that the plants need to change every mineral to a bio-available one before anything from that animal kingdom could utilize it.

2. Water Fluoridation Concerns were Raised in 1952 by a Congressman

Arthur Lewis Miller was a Nebraska Republican politician that was active from 1943 to 1959. During the Congressional Record on March 24th, 1952, Miller explained that he introduced a bill allowing the addition of fluorides to public water supply under the implication that it was beneficial but as he researched the findings for that time, he discovered that there was still a lot of research missing for how else fluoride reacts in the body besides in dentist applications. Miller quoted a number of high-ranking health officials, at the time, not advocating the usage of fluorine until further tests were conducted to show the impact on human health. He then goes on to quote a few Department of Agriculture studies, showing that fluoride inhibits calcification of leg bones and also seeps into the placenta of unborn animals, as possible red flags to study these compounds further. The most groundbreaking statistic was Miller showing the death rate from Grand Rapids, MI in 1944 was 585. Four years later, after the start of the fluoridation, the death rate from heart disease went up to 1059 deaths, nearly a 50 % increase. A 50% increase in intra-cranial lesions was also observed in the same period. Miller concluded with the insistence that this matter was an urgent one and that unless "... we are thoroughly convinced that not damage will come to the sick child or to the individuals in the old age group..", we should not use fluoride.

3. The Sources of Fluoride are Many and Varied.

Although the focus of fluoride in water is prevalent, there are actually many sources of fluoride that contaminate everyday living supplies and our environment. The toxic fluoride that accumulates in humans, also accumulates in other animals, especially in the bones, which means that bone broth, processed meats, and canned seafood have fluoride. When the bones and meat are coming from animals that are fed lots of grains (instead of free-range) they usually get fluoride-based chemicals in the grains. Non-organic fruits and veggies will also have significantly more fluoride due to these pesticides. Grapes are notorious for the amount of pesticides used to keep bugs away, so wine is a no go. Kombucha and tea happen to have high amounts of aluminum fluoride, 5-10 times more than a can of pop. Teflon pans causes an increase of 3 times the amount of fluoride in your food. Any product (such as soup, veggies, meat, etc...) that have been washed or processed with fluoridated water will contain it. Beers can have a wide range of fluoride levels but some (like Dos Equis) have no traces (when the study was performed in 2011).

4. A Governmental Researcher Was Fired for Publishing Negative Results about Fluoride in 1990

Dr. Phyllis Mullenix was working at the prestigous research institution, the Forsyth Dental Center, whose purpose was to provide free dental care for the children of Boston. Mullenix was researching fluoride when a grant from the National Cancer Institute was secured to study the neurotoxicity of treatments used in childhood leukemia. Mullenix had great access to funding due to the institutional perks, so she included fluoride studies into the neurotoxicity study. Dr. Mullenix designed a ground-breaking computer pattern recognition system to study the repercussions of fluoride rats. Her findings were shocking, showing that behavioral and I.Q. defects from fluoride match the same resulting defects from chemotherapy patients. She gave a speech on the results to the National Institute of Dental Research in 1990 while also mentioning several studies on fluoride induced I.Q. defects from China that seem to corroborate with her own research. In 1994, three days after having her results presented in the Journal of Neurotoxicology and Teratology (one of the world's most respected publication in the field), she was dismissed from her job at the Forsyth Institute. Her letter of dismissal specifically stated that the action to fire her was not "dentally related". Funny enough, the Forsyth Institute received a quarter-million dollar grant from Colgate after Mullenix's dismissal. Mullenix was ordered by superiors to not publish her results or the grants from the National Institute of Dental Research would stop (about 90% of the Forsyth Institute's money comes from these grants).

5. The Current Legal Suit Against Fluoride Gaining Steem (Get It?)

More research is coming out about the potential dangers of fluoride with a recent report in the oldest and most prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, officially classifying fluoride as a neurotoxin that is on par with arsenic, lead, and mercury. When three of the country's top experts were invited to speak on the danger of water fluoridation during the Environmental Protection Agency's review on tap water (that happens every six years), they were only given three minutes to speak although they started a full hour ahead of schedule. The experts, Dr. Paul Connet, (Ph.D. in Chemistry), Ellen Connett (managing director of the Fluoride Action Network), and Dr. Bill Hirzy (27 year experienced senior scientist of the EPA) were effectively silenced despite many studies linking the ingesting of fluoride to bone fractures, thyroid, kidney, and heart disease as well as cancer. However, great action by the coalition of Fluoride Action Network (FAN), Food and Water Watch, Organic Consumers Association, International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, and others filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act. FAN has presented the EPA with over 180 studies showing neurotoxic harm being caused by fluoride that is well within the range that millions of Americans now consume. The most recent news from the lawsuit is from December 22, 2017 where the Federal judge denied the EPA's request to throw the case out of court on the grounds of not enough evidence presented by plaintiff. The EPA remains adamant that there are no studies showing that fluoride has helped contribute to neurotoxicity while FAN maintains there is plenty of credible evidence. The government reacting haphazardly to the possiblility of neurotoxins that may be affecting children, men, women, plants, rivers, animals, and air is something that can drive you Down the Rabbit Hole.

Sources

http://gloucester-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3028 (Source on Dr. Mullenix)
http://fluoridealert.org/content/grocery_guide/ (Source of Fluoride Contamination)
http://ffbeers.com/ (Source on Flouride Content of Beer)
http://fluoridealert.org/issues/sources/processed/ (Processed Foods and Fluoride)
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/tsca_21_petition_hfsa_2013-04-22.pdf (Information on Flurosilicates)
http://www.fluoride-history.de/p-insecticides.htm (Patents involving Flouride-derived insecticides)
https://www.nature.com/articles/4812863 (Background and History of Fluoridation)
https://wearechange.org/fluoride-officially-classified-neurotoxin-worlds-prestigious-medical-journal/ (Neurotoxic Tendencies of Fluoride)
https://hsionline.com/2017/12/19/epa-silences-experts-speaking-out-against-fluoride/ (3 Experts Being Silenced by the EPA)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/06/13/ban-artificial-water-fluoridation.aspx (EPA Lawsuit)
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/water-fluoridation-and-cancer-risk.html (Background and Supporting Studies against Fluoridation)
http://www.cheeseslave.com/top-5-sources-of-fluoride-its-not-your-toothpaste-or-drinking-water/ (Top 5 Sources of Fluoride)
http://cof-cof.ca/hydrofluorosilicic-acid-origins/ (More Studies on Fluorosilicates)
http://fluoridealert.org/studytracker/ (More than 2000 studies on Fluoride)
http://www.dmww.com/upl/documents/library/review-article.pdf (My Favorite Comprehensive Article, also contains the Congressman Speech on Fluoride)