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Government To Reduce Fluoride Levels in Drinking Water Because Too Much Fluoride Can Cause Health Problems
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a reduction in allowable fluoride levels in U.S. drinking water:
HHS’
proposed recommendation of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of
water replaces the current recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams.
This updated recommendation is based on recent EPA and HHS scientific
assessments to balance the benefits of preventing tooth decay while
limiting any unwanted health effects.
As AP notes:
A
scientific report five years ago said that people who consume a
lifetime of too much fluoride — an amount over EPA's limit of 4
milligrams — can lead to crippling bone abnormalities and brittleness.
That
and other research issued Friday by the EPA about health effects of
fluoride are sure to re-energize groups that still oppose adding it to
water supplies.
***
In March, 2006, the National
Academy of Sciences released a report recommending that the EPA lower
its maximum standard for fluoride in drinking water to below 4
milligrams. The report warned severe fluorosis could occur at 2
milligrams. Also, a majority of the report's authors said a lifetime of
drinking water with fluoride at 4 milligrams or higher could raise the
risk of broken bones.
Late last year, lawyers for the Fluoride
Action Network, Beyond Pesticides, and Environmental Working Group
threatened legal action if the EPA did not lower its ceiling on
fluoride.
In Europe, fluoride is rarely added to water supplies.
In Britain, only about 10 percent of the population has fluoridated
water. It's been a controversial issue there, with critics arguing
people shouldn't be forced to have "medical treatment" forced on them.
Some scientists also have found that fluoride can cause damage to children's liver and kidneys, and to other parts of the body as well.
Here is
the 2006 National Academy of Science report discussed above. The
report reviews scientific studies which find that fluoride affects intelligence.
Indeed, studies from around the world have continued to find that
exposure to fluoride - especially in the very young - lowers IQ. See this and this. The same is true for rats exposed to fluoride. See this and this. And see the studies listed here.
Dr. Vyvyan Howard - a PhD fetal pathologist, who is
a professor of developmental toxico-pathology at the University of
Liverpool and University of Ulster, president of the International
Society of Doctors for the Environment and former president of the Royal
Microscopical Society and the International Society for Stereology,
and general editor of the Journal of Microscopy - said in a 2008 Canadian television interview
(short, worthwhile video at the link) that studies done in several
countries show that children’s IQ are likely to be lower in high
natural water fluoride areas.
He said that these studies are
plausible because fluoride is known to affect the thyroid hormone which
affects intelligence and fluoride is also a known neurotoxicant. Such
studies have not been conducted in countries that artificially
fluoridate the water such as the US, UK and Canada, but should be, he
said.
And as the International Business Times noted last month on the newest Chinese study on fluoride:
Exposure to fluoride may lower children's intelligence, says a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives,
a publication of the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences. Fluoride is added to 70 percent of U.S. public drinking water
supplies.***
About 28 percent of the children in the
low-fluoride area scored as bright, normal or higher intelligence
compared to only 8 percent in the "high" fluoride area of Wamaio.In
the high-fluoride city, 15 percent had scores indicating mental
retardation and only 6 percent in the low-fluoride city. The authors of
the study eliminated both lead exposure and iodine deficiency as
possible causes for the lowered IQs.
One scientist - Jennifer Luke - alleged in a 2001 scientific article that fluoride accumulates in the brain (specifically, in the structure of the pineal gland) more than
it accumulates in our bones. In other words, she implies that fluoride
may accumulate more in the brain than in the teeth, doing more harm than
good (here's Luke's 1997 PhD dissertation on the topic.)
The 2006 National Academy of Sciences report corroborates some of Luke's allegations:
As
with other calcifying tissues, the pineal gland can accumulate
fluoride (Luke 1997, 2001). Fluoride has been shown to be present in the
pineal glands of older people (14-875 mg of fluoride per kg of gland
in persons aged 72-100 years), with the fluoride concentrations being
positively related to the calcium concentrations in the pineal gland,
but not to the bone fluoride, suggesting that pineal fluoride is not
necessarily a function of cumulative fluoride exposure of the individual
(Luke 1997, 2001). Fluoride has not been measured in the pineal glands
of children or young adults, nor has there been any investigation of
the relationship between pineal fluoride concentrations and either
recent or cumulative fluoride intakes.
Donald Miller - cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington - alleges:
Studies show that the rates of bone cancer are substantially higher in fluoridated areas, particularly in boys. [See this.]
Other cancers, of the head and neck, GI tract, pancreas, and lungs,
have a 10 percent higher incidence. Fluoride affects the thyroid gland
and causes hypothyroidism, which is also an increasingly frequent
disorder in the US. Other studies show that high levels of fluoride in
drinking water are associated with birth defects and early infant
mortality.
***
Studies
show that the rates of bone cancer are substantially higher in
fluoridated areas, particularly in boys. Other cancers, of the head and
neck, GI tract, pancreas, and lungs, have a 10 percent higher
incidence. Fluoride affects the thyroid gland and causes
hypothyroidism, which is also an increasingly frequent disorder in the
US. Other studies show that high levels of fluoride in drinking water
are associated with birth defects and early infant mortality.
Fluoride also damages the brain, both directly and indirectly. Rats given fluoridated water at a dose of 4 ppm develop symptoms resembling attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. High concentrations of fluoride accumulate in the pineal gland,
which produces serotonin and melatonin. Young girls who drink
fluoridated water reach puberty six months earlier than those who drink
unfluoridated water, which is thought to be a result of reduced
melatonin production. People with Alzheimer's disease have high levels
of aluminum in their brains. Fluoride combines with aluminum in
drinking water and takes it through the blood-brain barrier into the
brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD, a neurosurgeon, spells out in chilling
detail the danger fluoride poses to one's brain and health in general
in his book Health and Nutrition Secrets that can Save Your Life (2002).
And see PhD chemist Joel Kauffman's review of fluoride in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Indeed, the whole fluoride fad might have been started for reasons a tad different from concern about cavities. As I wrote last August:
The
government allegedly ordered Manhattan Project scientists to
whitewash the toxicity of flouride (flouride is a byproduct in the
production of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium). As Project Censored noted in 1999:Recently
declassified government documents have shed new light on the
decades-old debate over the fluoridation of drinking water, and have
added to a growing body of scientific evidence concerning the health
effects of fluoride. Much of the original evidence about fluoride, which
suggested it was safe for human consumption in low doses, was
actually generated by “Manhattan Project” scientists in the 1940s. As
it turns out, these officials were ordered by government powers to
provide information that would be “useful in litigation” and that
would obfuscate its improper handling and disposal. The once
top-secret documents, say the authors, reveal that vast quantities of
fluoride, one of the most toxic substances known, were required for
the production of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium. As a result,
fluoride soon became the leading health hazard to bomb program workers
and surrounding communities.
Studies commissioned after
chemical mishaps by the medical division of the “Manhattan Project”
document highly controversial findings. For instance, toxic accidents
in the vicinity of fluoride-producing facilities like the one near
Lower Penns Neck, New Jersey, left crops poisoned or blighted, and
humans and livestock sick. Symptoms noted in the findings included
extreme joint stiffness, uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, severe
headaches, and death. These and other facts from the secret documents
directly contradict the findings concurrently published in
scientific journals which praised the positive effects of fluoride.
Regional
environmental fluoride releases in the northeast United States also
resulted in several legal suits against the government by farmers
after the end of World War II, according to Griffiths and Bryson.
Military and public health officials feared legal victories would
snowball, opening the door to further suits which might have kept the
bomb program from continuing to use fluoride. With the Cold War
underway, the New Jersey lawsuits proved to be a roadblock to
America’s already full-scale production of atomic weapons. Officials
were subsequently ordered to protect the interests of the government.After the war, ... the dissemination of misinformation continued.
Note: While the U.S. is reducing
fluoride levels in water, some have proposed adding it to salt and to
milk. For example, as the International Dental Journal reported in 2005:
Alternatives to automatic fluoridation by means of water fluoridation are salt fluoridation [and] milk fluoridation
... and the WHO Oral Health Programme is currently undertaking
evaluation of demonstration projects in several countries.
(page 358).
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That's why I stopped to use toothpaste. Fluor is indeed good for teeth, but has lots of side effects. That does not prevent me from having teeth in excellent condition.
right?
and isn't it a tad curious that poison control telephone number is on the back of a box of toothpaste?
If this is true, the loss is incalculable for almost each and everyone of us because:
Hell, I can't even tie a decent hangman's knot anymore.
This is what happens when you move ALL your buisness to the Credit Union. Don't worry Dr., I am sure if we get you around a fat young banker it will come back to you.
Fat young bankers roast up real nice.
And I'm trying to perfect a world class BBQ sauce based on Southern Comfort, maple syrple and sugar-based ketchup.
Long Pork BBQ! It's what's for dinner!
MsCreant
"We can't calculate shit anymore because we are all collectively so stupid-- the real reason the population does not hang all of the banker class now is because they are too brain damaged to calculate the damage. "
I don't vote. Two reasons. First of all it's meaningless; this country was bought and sold a long time ago. The shit they shovel around every 4 years *pfff* doesn't mean a fucking thing. Secondly, I believe if you vote, you have no right to complain. People like to twist that around – they say, 'If you don't vote, you have no right to complain', but where's the logic in that? If you vote and you elect dishonest, incompetent people into office who screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You caused the problem; you voted them in; you have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote, who in fact did not even leave the house on election day, am in no way responsible for what these people have done and have every right to complain about the mess you created that I had nothing to do with.”
“The next time they give you all that civic bullshit about voting, keep in mind that Hitler was elected in a full, free democratic election”"Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. Fuck Hope.'"
"I have solved this political dilemma in a very direct way: I don't vote. On Election Day, I stay home. I firmly believe that if you vote, you have no right to complain. Now, some people like to twist that around. They say, 'If you don't vote, you have no right to complain,' but where's the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote -- who did not even leave the house on Election Day -- am in no way responsible for that these politicians have done and have every right to complain about the mess that you created."
George Carlin
'The Public Sucks. Fuck Hope.'"
This makes a good campaign slogan, but would also look good on a t-shirt, and even better as a facial tatoo...
Might lead to a few black eyes though, what with the acolytes of the church of O.
If voting made a difference, it would be illegal.
Nice hit piece. Stuff like this only works on those that have consumed exceptionally high amounts of man-made fluoride.
Couldn't agree more, especially with the public stinking like shit! After GW won the second time, I threw in the towel! This country gets exactly what it deserves! Hopefully that will be default. But, it just looks like 50% of the population would rather make $10 an hour, be substantially trapped under-water in their house, and monitored 24-7 by Big Government.
It is nice of daddy to help us out like this. the bastards.
Flouride lowers IQ?!?! That's unpossible!!!
and double-plus ungood
For those that didn't understand, I was paraphrasing Homer Simpson.
It was Ralph Wiggum you doth quote
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iSD9lPVY6Q
Floweride loweres IQ??? unprobbbabble!!!
This explains all the people who can't tell the difference between:
there - "your dog shit over there, dumbass"
their - belonging to them - "it was their dog that shit on the sidewalk"
they're - They are - "They're tired of stepping in their dog's shit on the sidewalk over there"
and
Loose (free, baggy, not constricting)
Lose (the opposite of win or find)
Both in one sentence - After losing sixty pounds, her jeans were very loose...
I noticed that the inability to spell "lose" (spelling it "loose", instead) started right around the millennium, on the internet. It seemed to spread virally. Suddenly, hundreds, then thousands of formerly and otherwise intelligent, educated people lost the ability to spell "lose".
my top two linguistic pet peeves:
a whole nother
for all intensive purposes
Hey, I noticed another thingy like that.
Right after they introduced daylight savings time, global warming began to be a problem. Well, duh! If ya have longer days, and the sun shines more, then the earth'll heat up.
It must have happened to me..i just found out a year ago the goverment been screwing me this entire life.
like neurotoxicant? I thought they were neurotoxins.
Actually sodium fluoride is more toxic than lead and close to the level of arsenic. It has been used as a rat poison in the past. It will over time cause you IQ to lower as it does cause neurological damage. It has been shown to be the major cause of osteoporosis.
Here is a doc on the subject but you can find a ton more at google. Look for sodium fluoride and not calcium fluoride. Calcium is natural but filtered out of the water. Though sodium is added for disposal purposes as it is a manufactuing byproduct and very expensive to dispose of so they put it in our water to get ride of it.
EPA's Union of Scientists' "WHITE PAPER"
http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Fluoride-WhitePaper.htm
Since our manufacturing has gone offshore, particularly aluminum smelting, there's a lot less fluoride to get rid of than during the booming Cold War era. I guess it's safe to reduce the allowable level in the water when there's less unwanted fluoride sitting at smelters.
Or then, I suppose it's possible that it only took the EPA 5 years to implement the recommendations, which is really very fast when it comes to protecting the environment.
Bingo! You get today's prize. That is exactly why they are lowering fluoride requirements. There has been a shortage for a couple of years.
Sodium fluoride (as opposed to naturally occurring fluoride) is a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer processing and aluminum smelting. Instead of having to pay several dollars a gallon to get rid of a toxic waste, companies are making money on it by selling it to municipalities. A water plant worker in South Carolina was fired a couple of years ago when he was tasked with finding a replacement source for sodium fluoride (their source was experiencing a shortage) and after studying all of the online information, refused to purchase fluoride for the water supply because he had decided it was toxic.
Sodium fluoride and aluminum bind together very easily. Any wonder why there is a huge increase in alzheimers "disease". (I use the quotes because it is not a disease - it is too much toxic aluminum in the brain.)
Sodium fluoride flattens out and dulls your emotions. Thus, you will find it in SSRI antidepressants such as prozac.
do yourself a favor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3y8uwtxrHo
European toothpaste, FTW
And after that they label 'conspiracy theorists' those who denounce fluoridification.
In fact, the nefarious effects of fluoride on brain development, even in very low doses, are known and acknowledged by most scientists. So there are two reasonable explanations:
- Either science in America is a fraud
- Either your politicians knew about the effects, and that's precisely why there is fluoride in your water: to make Americans dumber and dumber each year.
To paraphrase Disraeli, there are lies, damned lies, statistics, and government "research" findings on health.
Very, Very good! You're catching on!!!
"The first occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Germany's Nazi prison camps. The Gestapo had little concern about fluoride's supposed effect on children's teeth; their alleged reason for mass-medicating water with sodium fluoride was to sterilize humans and force the people in their concentration camps into calm submission." -'The Crime and Punishment of I.G. Farben' by Joseph Borkin
tell me about it you should see the procedures we have to go through if we have a spill at the water plant some Toxic stuff , almost as bad as Cl2 chlorine.
Another health effect for some people, flouride in the water causes sores/pimples on the chin near the mouth. Avoiding tap water at home and ice water at restaurants has eliminated this problem.