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The Forum > Article Comments > To fluoridate or not to fluoridate > Comments

To fluoridate or not to fluoridate : Comments

By Anne Matthews-Frederick, published 23/10/2008

With the benefit of hindsight some places are moving to defluoridate their water while South East Queensland pushes ahead.

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TEETH -- selfish only considering something that we should all PERSONALLY be responsible for.
TOXICITY --can you please explain why it is not recommended to mix baby formula with fluoridated water and also children are advised not to swallow toothpaste. Not to mention other health issues embracing toxicity.
HISTORY --Unfluoridated - my complete family has kept all their own teeth from my grandparents down to my grandchildren. I am 65 and still have my own teeth.... NOT A PRIVILEGED UPBRINGING FINANCIALLY,(public housing) however, a very caring,good diet,good habits nurtured background.
I question the Queensland Government's hidden agendas. More to the point I question THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT"S AGENDA.

HIDDEN AGENDA : WILL WE SEE FUTURE PRIVATISATION OF OUR MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY? that would be scary.
Posted by chemifree, Friday, 24 October 2008 10:35:43 AM
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If cardiologists rounded up their mates and pressured the government to add aspirin to our drinking water because it could save lives, we'd be up in arms.

If dieticians ganged up to add vitamin C and iron to our water because it could save lives, we'd be spitting chips about that too.

What crazy thinking has resulted in an industrial waste product (confirmed by Victoria's DHS) being forcibly added to the entire population's drinking water, even though it won't even save a life? All because dentists, so very narrowly focussed on teeth rather than the effect on our entire bodies, have ganged up to push our politicians into thinking it will save them money.

When the government aims to alter a body part of our entire population without our permission, we have indeed lost our freedom. What the hell are they thinking when they ride over our basic rights like that?

Deb
Posted by NoFluoride, Friday, 24 October 2008 12:08:56 PM
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This article has managed to bring some of the nutters out. Some casual observations about fluoride in water. Like a few of the early posters, I have also benefitted from the addition of fluoride to water. Public health agencies worldwide recommend fluoride for prevention of dental caries http://www.healthvermont.org/family/dental/fluoride/fluoridationstudy.pdf http://www.ada.org/public/topics/fluoride/facts/fluoridation_facts.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5014a1.htm http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/faqs/leafletdetail.php?LeafletID=17 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/environ/fluor-eng.php

Fluoride may be toxic in large concentrations (the LD50 is about 180 mg/kg), however, like most chemicals there is a range over which it is toxic and a range over which it is not. As Paracelsus said "it is the dose that makes the poison. Addition of fluoride to water is about 1 mg/L. Natural water sources contain between less than 0.1 mg/L up to 14 mg/L. The No Observable Adverse Effect Level is 1.8 mg/kg body weight/day. You would need to consume more than 1L/kg body weight of artificially fluoridated water to even get close. Consider that for a moment. How much water do you weigh? How much water do you drink every day? How could you get harmed from drinking fluoridated water?

Switzerland has indeed stopped fluoridation of their water (well only Basle had it), but only because they add fluoride to salt.

Since the 1970s, when fluoridated toothpaste became available, there has probably been less need to add fluoride to water. However, considerable evidence in the US indicates the fluoridation benefits of toothpaste don’t reach the poorest socio-economic groups, probably because they cannot afford or don’t regularly impose teeth brushing. Therefore, there remains a public health argument to supplement low fluoride waters with fluoride.
Posted by Agronomist, Friday, 24 October 2008 6:46:27 PM
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Fluoride and crime again.

www.ada.org/public/topics/fluoride/facts/fluoridation_facts.pdf

"From his research, Masters has claimed to be able to predict the estimated cost of increased prison populations due to water fluoridation. For example, in a 2003 appearance before the Palm Beach County (Florida) Commission, Masters stated that if the county fluoridated with silicofluorides, they could expect an additional 819 violent crimes per year directly related to water fluoridation with a minimum additional annual cost of imprisonment of $14,391,255.(284)

Scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reviewed th basic science that was the foundation for the claim that silicofluorides leach lead from the plumbing systems and found that many of the chemical assumptions made and statistical methods utilized in the original ecological study were scientifically unjustified. They went on to state that the research was inconsistent with accepted scientific knowledge and the authors of the original studies (Masters et al) failed to identify or account for these inconsistencies. Overall, the EPA scientists concluded that "no credible evidence exists to show that water flouridation has any quantifiable effects on the solubility, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, or reactivity of lead (0) or lead (ll) compounds. (285)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average blood lead levels of young children in the U.S. have continued to decline since the 1970s primarily due to the phase-out of leaded gasoline and the resulting decrease in lead emissions."
Posted by Fester, Friday, 24 October 2008 8:22:02 PM
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Bring it on! It's an easy way to flog off toxic waste from pollutant industries!

Without the masses, this muck would end up in a hazardous waste plant.

Or perhaps those who want to take fluoride should buy their own in tablet form?

Cheers
Posted by dickie, Friday, 24 October 2008 9:25:44 PM
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For some reason the flouride debate really brings out the crazy in crazies. Fluoride is a substance which naturally occurs in some water supplies... it's not an artificial industrial waste product!

Choice magazine has done enough research to suggest there isn't a problem with fluoride in water:

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=105619&catId=100289&tid=100008&p=1&title=Fluoride

To quote Choice: 'The claims of those who oppose fluoridation are often based on outdated information, questionable research and selectively picking studies that support their case.'

'It’s known that high amounts of fluoride can also cause fluorosis of the bones.... It occurs most commonly in countries such as India and Pakistan where the natural concentration of fluoride in the water can be as high as 18 ppm.

'A number of studies have looked for a relationship between exposure to fluoride at about 1 ppm and the risk of bone fracture. The results have varied, but when both of the UK expert reports looked at the results overall they concluded that there’s no proven additional risk of bone fracture associated with water fluoridation.

'An Australian review in 2001 looked at 33 individual studies and concluded that fluoride to 1 ppm doesn’t have an adverse effect on bone strength, mineral density or evidence of fractures.

' There have been claims that long-term exposure to levels of fluoride even as low as those found in Australian water may cause bone cancer or birth defects.
'The two expert reports from the UK found no association between bone cancer and fluoridation. The Australian NHMRC report considered three controlled studies and came to the same conclusion.
'And there’s no sound evidence at all that fluoride causes birth defects. Studies haven’t found any increase in their prevalence, even in those areas of India and Africa that have very high levels of fluoride in the water.'
Posted by floatinglili, Saturday, 25 October 2008 12:28:24 AM
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