In my hometown while waiting for the train, I stumbled across the following flier posted practically everywhere.
Click the image to enlarge.
I was intrigued because as we all know, I love taking apart stupid things like this as an excuse to inflict you with a blog post, so I took one down to check out whether what it says is factual at all.
A little bit about fluoride levels in our water.
For later reference, we’ll start by throwing some facts in your face. I noticed the information on the flier is obviously American given the choice of words, measurements and the website (which we’ll talk about in a bit) is majority American articles. So I decided to check American and Australian fluoride levels in the water. It seems our Government has differing levels of fluoride present in different areas, as represented by this handy diagram I stole from the Internet.
We can assume that the fluoride level doesn’t go above 1.1 mg/L in these controlled conditions, which is just a little over one millionth of a litre. America has a MCL1 of 4 mg/L, and the average levels works out to be similar to that of ours. I’ll work with the maximums for the sake of the argument, because results for that will be applicable over smaller amounts as well.
As little as 1/10 of an ounce of fluoride can kill a 100 lbs adult.
If we look at this so called fact, given that 1/10 of a fluid ounce is roughly 3 mg/L2, we can say that the amounts present in our water are way less than that (given 1.1 is the maximum, and in places like where I live it’s considerable lower), and therefore not a threat in normal doses. While it is possible that that much fluoride could kill someone, we aren’t having nearly enough in a short enough period of time to have that effect.
1/1000 of an ounce can kill a 10 pound infant.
This one is difficult because babies grow rapidly, gaining and losing weight all the time. Looking it up though, apparently it is recommended babies not be given water to drink until they’re 6 months old since the water they need is gotten when they drink breast milk. So we’ll work on that.
I looked, and at 6 months of age the average weight for a baby can be anywhere between 15 and 21 pounds. Now, using the power of basic math, I can see that the child would need to be younger than 6 months to be the size needed for that level of fluoride to be poisonous. Since babies that are at that age aren’t meant to drink water, we can say unless someone was a really irresponsible parent the baby shouldn’t be at risk.
Fluoride is the active ingredient in most insecticides!
A type of fluoride IS used in pesticides, called sulfuryl fluoride, so this is sort of true. What this flier mysteriously forgets to mention is that this is not what is put in our water. What is actually put in our water is called sodium fluoride, a completely different thing. Sulfuryl fluoride is poisonous which is just one reason why pesticides have DANGER printed on them. So this fact is really a complete twist of the facts in an attempt to scare those who believe everything they read3. It frustrates me when people feel that the only way to prove their point is to obscure the truth (Especially when it’s not even for the lulz!).
Fluoride causes bone cancer. In your bones.
This one is true. To a degree. Too much fluoride will cause brittleness of the bones (Just as not enough will make them weak), and there are apparently scientific studies that link fluoride to the cancer4. Of course, these studies are years old and there are counter-studies showing no actual link between cancers and fluoridation5.
So really, this is another case of selective hearing. These people are taking only the studies that benefit their cause to try and scare people into siding with them. And on the flier they’re stating these studies are absolute fact, which is wrong. It saddens me that people do this rather than embrace all the facts and make an educated decision.
Water fluoridation doesn’t strengthen teeth or fight tooth decay.
This is the big one. Not only does the flier hate on fluoride with the above, but it then states that fluoride doesn’t even do the things it’s meant to do. This is despite scientific proof that it strengthens the bones and teeth, and there is studies proving the statistical link between fluoride being in the water and the reduction of cavities6.
This seems to be a case of not just twisting the facts, but outright lying. They blatantly ignore the facts and lie in favour of boosting their case. The fuck is wrong with them?
Hey, they have a website!
The flier points to a website to have the truth revealed to us. Now I don’t WANT to link to the site, but I have to for the sake of yes. InfoWars.com seems to be a news website in which the featured stories include conspiracies. At first look, there are no articles on fluoride, so I used the search option. The most recent articles about it completely ignore the studies I pointed out, tries to link fluoride to shorter lives, and is an overall idiot. Watching a video featuring Alex Jones (Creator and runner of InfoWars.com), when you get past the constant plugs for his website, he claims everything he says about fluoride (some of which is covered above) is “absolute truth”, even though everything he claims can be debunked or at least can be reasonably doubted by several facts and studies.
Pure garbage. Just Google “alex jones is an idiot” and you’ll see plenty of examples of exactly that.
In short, the flier is bullshit. The “facts” it states are either outright lies, or twisted truths in an attempt to make it sound like Alex Jones and other conspiracy theorists are completely right. If they thought about it for two seconds they would realize that while yes in large amounts fluoride is poisonous, in small doses it is actually good for your health. You can’t convince these idiots though. This makes me sad.
I would also like to point out that what I’m basing all my information on is that found on the internet at varying sources. I link to a few studies for and against the point, but also read up on articles on water fluoridation on Wikipedia and other sources. The information is correct to the best of my knowledge, but I may of missed something here or there. If I did, I’m sorry.
- Maximum Contaminant Level
- Rounded up from 2.95735296
- Basically, anyone who relies on The Advertiser and Today Tonight for news.
- Of course, such studies are covered by Fox News.
- What the ‘York Review’ on the fluoridation of drinking water really found.
- http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/CRD_Reports/crdreport18.pdf
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Fluoridation Opposition is Scientific, Respectable & Growing
More than 3,000 professionals (including over 270 dentists) urge the US Congress to stop water fluoridation citing scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. See statement: http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html
Also, eleven Environmental Protection Agency employee unions representing over 7000 environmental and public health professionals called for a moratorium on drinking water fluoridation programs across the country, and have asked EPA management to recognize fluoride as posing a serious risk of causing cancer in people.
Approximately, 80 US communities rejected fluoridation in 2008 & 2009
Since the professionals’ statement was first issued (Aug 2007), the following occurred:
– On April 12, 2010, Time magazine listed fluoride as one of the “Top Ten Common Household Toxins” and described fluoride as both “neurotoxic and potentially tumorigenic if swallowed.”
– Water fluoride chemicals boosts lead absorption in lab animals’ bones, teeth and blood, was reported by Sawan, et al. (Toxicology 2/2010). Earlier studies already show children’s blood-lead-levels are higher in fluoridated communities, reports Sawan’s research team.
– State University of New York researchers found more premature births in fluoridated than non-fluoridated upstate New York communities, according to a presentation made at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting on November 9, 2009 in Philadelphia.
– New York State Department of Health dentist J. V. Kumar published national statistics in the July 2009 Journal of the American Dental Association which show similar cavity rates regardless of water fluoride content, However, dental fluorosis rates increased along with water fluoride levels. See analysis “Fluoridation No Benefit; Definite Harm,” by Kathleen M. Thiessen, Ph.D., SENES Oak Ridge, Inc., Center for Risk Analysis here: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/Clinch_2009_No_Benefit_Definite_Harm.pdf
– The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada’s leading voice on environmental health issues, released a statement opposing fluoridation. (2)
– May 2009, Great Lakes United (GLU) supports the end of water fluoridation. GLU is made up organizations representing environmentalists, conservationists, hunters and anglers, labor unions, community groups, and citizens of the United States, Canada, and First Nations and Tribes. (13)
– The National Kidney Foundation dropped its fluoridation support replacing it with this caution: “Individuals with CKD [Chronic Kidney Disease] should be notified of the potential risk of fluoride exposure.” (3)
– Researchers reported in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal that fluoridation never was proven safe or effective and may be unethical. (4)
– “A qualitative review of …studies found a consistent and strong association between the exposure to fluoride and low IQ,” concluded Tang el al., in “Fluoride and Children’s Intelligence: A Meta-analysis” in Biological Trace Element Research (5)
– Scientific American editors wrote in January 2008, “Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland”
– Dr. A. K. Susheela, a leading fluoride expert, explains in a video why US physicians overlook fluoride as a possible cause of diseases commonly caused by fluoride. http://tinyurl.com/Susheela
– A study in the Fall 2008 Journal of Public Health Dentistry reveals that cavity-free teeth have little to do with fluoride intake. Researchers report, “The benefits of fluoride are mostly topical…while fluorosis is clearly more dependent on fluoride intake.”
– Research published in Biological Trace Element Research (April 2009). indicates that blood fluoride levels were significantly higher in patients with osteosarcoma than in control groups. (13) Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, occurs mostly in children and young adults
– All infant formula, whether concentrated or not, contain fluoride at levels that can discolor teeth – even organic, according to research published in the October 2009 Journal of the American Dental Association. (16)
– A Tennessee State legislator, Joey Hensley, who is also an MD is urging all Tennessee Water Districts to stop fluoridation, reported a Tennessee newspaper on 11/29/08. At least 30 Tennessee water districts have already complied with his request.(6)
– Mt Pleasant, Michigan Fluoride Commission votes to suspend fluoridation (17)
– Crowley, Louisiana suspends fluoridation. (18)
– Sandpoint, Iowa stops fluoridation July 2010 (19)
On 1/5/09, the Burlington Board of Health recommended that Burlington cease fluoridation because fluoridation can harm some people. (7)
On 1/6/09, a Canadian town, Drayton, stopped fluoridation, not to save money, but because it was in the best interests of residents, said the Mayor. (8)
The Arkansas Oral Health Director is accused of giving eight “false or misleading statements” on fluoridation to an Arkansas legislative Committee. (12)
The Professionals’ Statement also references:
– The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water.
– The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.
– CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.
– Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.
– A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it’s as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”
Adverse health effects of fluoride: http://www.FluorideAction.Net/health
hee hee
You have to agree though, there’s lots of scientific proof the other way. There are several studies (one of which I believe I linked to) showing no adverse effects, and the issue originally at hand was that of the flier using lies and scare tactics to get the point across.
Also, what are all those numbers? Did you just copy past all that stuff?
hee hee
If you truly look at the science supporting fluoridation, you’ll see they don’t hold water. For example, the first human health fluoridation experiment occurred in Newburgh NY and Kingston NY acted as the control. It was planned to last ten years; but was declared a success after five, before the permanent teeth of most children had even grown in. After ten years, State University of New York researchers reported that children in fluoridated Newburgh had more corticol bone defects, more anemia, early menstruation than non-fluoridated Kingston children. This evidence was ignored and public health types promoted fluoridation, anyway.
Further, adults weren’t studied at all and any child sick two weeks before examination was excluded from the study. Many health effects weren’t even look for which we now know are linked to fluoride ingestion, eg thyroid dysfunction.
Fluoridation began with the belief that ingesting fluoride caused fluoride to incorporate into children’s developing teeth to make them more decay resistant. Modern science disproved that theory. Fluoride hardens outer enamel by topical means alone. Ingesting fluoride has no beneficial effects.
This is what the US Centers for Disease Control says about that:
:“Fluoride works primarily after teeth have erupted…”“The concentration of fluoride in ductal saliva, as it is secreted from salivary glands, is low — approximately 0.016 parts per million (ppm) in areas where drinking water is fluoridated and 0.006 ppm in nonfluoridated areas.
“This concentration of fluoride is not likely to affect cariogenic activity”
“The prevalence of dental caries in a population is not inversely related to the concentration of fluoride in enamel, and a higher concentration of enamel fluoride is not necessarily more efficacious in preventing dental caries.”
Also, when fluoridation began, dentists believed they had the magic bullet against tooth decay. When vitamins and minerals were first being discovered to “cure” disease such as vitamin C preventing scurvy and vit D preventing rickets, they thought fluoride was an essential nutrient required to prevent tooth decay.
Well fluoride is neither a nutrient nor required for healthy teeth. Consuming a fluoride free diet is not the cause for tooth decay.
Now that huge multi-national, multi billion dollar corporations are profiting from the sale of fluoride, it’s impossible to stop that gravy train. So while the literature shows children are over-fluoridating and sporting dental fluorosis (discolored teeth), organized dentistry keeps finding new ways to put fluoride into us and onto our teeth – doing no good for us; but a lot of good for the corporations that finance organized dentistry – making them very powerful in US politics.
The York Review of Fluoride Literature said it best: “We were unable to discover any reliable good-quality evidence in the fluoridation literature world-wide.”
For more info
Fluoridation 101
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
Fluoride Action Network
http://www.FluorideAction.Net
PS we are not connected to infowars.com or those posters.
You mixed up ounce and fluid ounces. 1/10 of an ounce is 2.83 grams, which is a perfectly reasonable amount to assume deadly if consumed.
You also seem to have missed that sodium fluoride *is* actually used in some insecticides.
From the “Introduction” to Chapter 7, “Fluorine-containing insecticides”, by R. L. Metcalf (Handb. exp. Pharmacol. XX.1, pp. 355-386, Springer, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York, 1966):
“Fluorine has played a significant role in insect control since about 1896 when sodium fluoride and various iron fluorides were patented in England as insecticides. Sodium fluoride was used in the United States for cockroach control before 1900 and was introduced in 1915 for the control of poultry lice. However, the use of fluorine insecticides did not become general until the 1930´s when the disadvantages of arsenical residues on food crops became apparent and the inorganic fluorine compounds were introduced as safer substitutes.”
List of some here: http://www.nofish.org/SodiumFluoride_Brands.pdf
Finally, you might be interested in this: https://www.upayanaturals.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/letter%20from%20dr%20judd%20-%20tooth%20soap.pdf
*just playing devil’s advocate.
Ah >_< I like your comment a lot better than nyscofs; it doesn’t come off as a copy paste :P I can’t really say anything other than “touché”. I might delete this post for being factually wrong xD
Bravo, Bros! keep going like this, more good info again.
Those opposing the fluoridation of drinking water make two main points: The addition of fluoride to drinking water is not proven to be safe,
The city of San Diego will not add fluoride to water as scheduled Wednesday, it was announced. Officials planned to increase the fluoride …
When Jonnie Goodboy Tyler could fly one of these without a manual- that’s when I REALLY knew scientology was bullshit. A pair of AV-8Bs flew over my house
1/11/11 CNN NEWS the U.S. is reviewing the fluoride levels and considering lowering the amount added to the water.
At least NY city and other US city to abolish sodium fluoride in drinking water. I’m no propagandist, V (for… Vituperative? Vivisectionist? Vulva?
At least NY city and other US city to abolish sodium fluoride in drinking water. I’m no propagandist, V (for… Vituperative? Vivisectionist? Vulva?) In fact, I’m pro-gun ownership; though I must admit that the 2nd Amendment was written by the Founding ..
. The Fluoride and bullshit fliers. by ZombieSkittles, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No ..
smokingmcbongwater There are a few reasons to use fluoride. 1. It’s bad for you in general 2. It screws up your pineal gland, making it harder for you to evolve spiritually 3. Fluoride was used on prisoners in the 1930s by Nazis to make them more docile. It’s an excellent tool for the government to use on us.
“[Fluoride is] designated a Class 2 poison by the EPA, an acute toxin worse than
lead and almost as bad as arsenic. According to the National Cancer
Institute it’s a known carcinogen. Hydrofluorosilicic acid is a
byproduct of the Florida phosphate fertilizer industry. It comes
straight from the stacks of industrial plants. It’s illegal to dump it
into freshwater lakes and rivers because it’s toxic to life. Yet it’s
being trucked in oil tankers all over the United States and Canada to
be sold to municipalities that pump it into our tap water. Yet enough
scientific evidence has mounted against fluoride that three U.S. judges
have ruled in federal court that fluoridation represents an ‘unreasonable risk’ to the public, and the public is beginning to get
wind of the danger.”
“The official line that we’re told is that fluoride prevents tooth decay. Yet fluoride is known to do just the opposite.
Fluoride causes dental fluorosis, a condition that makes teeth hard
and brittle with discoloration, chipping and pitting of the enamel.
It’s estimated by the Centers for Disease Control that one-third of the
children in the United States have dental fluorosis.”
“Dr. Paul Connett of St. Lawrence University and executive director of
the Fluoride Action Network explains his own experience: ‘I have been
researching the scientific literature on fluoride since 1996. I
approached this issue with an open mind. If I had any bias when I set
out it was that those who were opposed to fluoridation were ‘crackpots.’
However, the more I read the more concerned I became over the dangers
posed by fluoride and by the very poor science underpinning political
decisions that allow such a toxic substance to be put into our drinking
water.’ ”
“…Dr. Phyllis Mullinex, who used to be a leading researcher with the
Forsyth Dental Institute. She created an innovative computer pattern
recognition software to study the neurotoxicity of chemicals. … At first she balked that it was a waste of time. Like most doctors, she
believed that fluoride as safe and harmless because it was in
toothpaste and drinking water. Yet the software revealed that fluoride
even in small doses causes effects similar to hyperactivity and
Attention Deficit Disorder. The results were congruent with numerous studies in China that show that fluoride lowers the IQ of children.
When Dr. Mullinex published these surprising results, she was promptly
fired from Forsyth and since then has not been able to find a position
or receive research grants. ”
(Full article at http://open.salon.com/blog/gordon_wagner/2010/05/29/fluoride_is_poison)