Fluoride occurs naturally in drinking water is some areas
of the world, including parts of the United Stated and
Canada.
Many cities and towns also add fluoride to the
drinking water supply during water treatment. The addition
of fluoride
to drinking water began in the 1940’s because
it was believed that fluoride prevents tooth decay. Since
that
time, many studies have been conducted and there is
evidence that fluoride does play a part in preventing tooth
decay
although it is believed that with the level of dental
hygiene practiced today in the developed world the addition
of
fluoride to the water supply is unnecessary. On a more
sinister side, other studies have concluded the fluoride
may
cause some very serious health problems. The following
quotation is taken from the United States Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA) website.
“Many communities add fluoride to their drinking water to
promote dental health. Each
community makes its own
decision about whether or not to add fluoride. EPA has set
an enforceable drinking water standard
for fluoride of 4
mg/L (some people who drink water containing fluoride in
excess of this level over many years could
get bone disease,
including pain and tenderness of the bones). EPA has also
set a secondary fluoride standard of
2 mg/L to protect
against dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis, in its moderate
or severe forms, may result in a brown
staining and/or
pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in
developing teeth, before they erupt from
the gums. Children
under nine should not drink water that has more than 2 mg/L
of fluoride.”
The EPA regulates
the level of fluoride in drinking water
because it recognizes the potential health hazards of the
consumption of too
much fluoride. Several countries in
Europe, such as Sweden, France and Ireland have gone even
further and sought
medical advice from some very
prestigious institutes such as the Nobel Medical Institute
that recommends against fluoridation
of drinking water and
these countries have stopped adding fluoride to their
drinking water.
A Harvard Study
of boys drinking fluoridated vs.
unfluoridated water, released April 5, 2006 concluded that
boys who drink water with
levels of fluoride considered
safe by federal (EPA) guidelines are five times more likely
to have a rare bone cancer
than boys who drink
unfluoridated water.
Dr. Hardy Limeback B.SC., Ph.D. in Biochemistry, D.D.S.,
head of the
Department of Preventive Dentistry for the
University of Toronto, and president of the Canadian
Association for Dental
Research states that "Children under
three should never use fluoridated toothpaste," he
counseled. "Or drink fluoridated
water. And baby formula
must never be made up using Toronto tap water. Never."
Even if we accept that the addition
of fluoride at the EPA
regulated levels, 1.4 and 2.4 parts per million (ppm) is
save and will not increase our risks
of developing bone or
other rare cancers, we also need to consider the fact that
many beverages we drink also contribute
to the amount of
fluoride we consume on a daily basis. In a study of
fluoride levels in fruit juices, over 42%
of the fruit
juices tested were found to contain fluoride at over 1 ppm
with some juices, particularly grape juices,
as high a 3.0
ppm.
There seems to be as many scientists advocating fluoride as
there are issuing warnings about
it. In the meantime, we
are left without clear answers about this long standing
controversy. For those
concerned about the potential
health risks posed by fluoride consumption, or families
with small children, home water
filters can be installed
that are very economical and very effective at removing
fluoride from drinking water.
About the Author:
Linda Symonds grew up on a small island in rural Canada
where she developed a love of the
natural world. Linda
believes that the polluted and toxic environment that we
live in poses significant risks to our
health and the
health of coming generations. For more information about
the plight of our water supply visit
http://www.thebestwaterfilters.com
