Slow Poisoning the Public

I assigned my sophomores and juniors at Clearfield High to write a persuasive paper; and since I don't ask my students to do something I'm not willing to do myself, I wrote one too. Here it is: my rant about putting flouride in the water. (It's about three double-spaced pages long.)

Slow Poisoning the Public (April 2008)

Doctors and nutritionists recommend drinking several glasses of poison a day. Well, actually they recommend drinking several glasses of water a day, but if you’re drinking fluoridated tap water, it could amount to the same thing. Many cities in the United States now add fluoride to public water supplies, with the intent of preventing tooth decay. Not only does fluoridation of drinking water have little impact on reducing cavities, it actually contributes to a plethora of diseases and abnormalities.
The topic of fluoridation has become a heated debate, and is the subject of numerous articles, reports, studies, and publications. Promoters of fluoridation use non-profit web sites as a platform to refer to their opponents as “poison mongers” or “quacks” and suggest that the so-called “scare tactics” of those opposed to fluoride are comparable to the techniques of Adolf Hitler (http://www.fluorideinfo.org). While these parties name-call and refute current medical evidence, they fail to produce substantial support for the benefits of fluoridated water. Professor Albert Schatz, Ph.D. (Microbiology), the discoverer of streptomycin & Nobel Prize Winner declared, “Fluoridation ... it is the greatest fraud that has ever been perpetrated, and it has been perpetrated on more people than any other fraud has” (http://www.apfn.org/apfn/poison.htm).
Simply put, fluoride is a chemical compound that combines of the basic element of fluorine with another element. The naturally occurring fluorine is defined as “a corrosive, toxic, greenish-yellow gaseous chemical element” (Agnes, 545). The main fluoride chemical added to water is called hydrofluorocilic acid, and it is an industrial waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry! The National Academy of Sciences has stated that fluoride is not an essential nutrient. In other words the body doesn’t need fluoride for any of its functions, and tooth decay is not caused by a lack of fluoride (http://www.fluoridealert.org).
Even if fluoride could guarantee the consumer would never have another cavity, which it certainly can’t, an EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) scientist, Dr. William Marcus, called fluoride “a carcinogen by any standard we use” (http://www.apfn.org/apfn/fluoride-expert.htm).
Cancer or cavities, which is worse? Fluoridation has been linked to bone cancer, but there are several other health risks as well.
Studies published by scholarly medical journals have linked low and moderate doses of fluoride to bone fracture, joint pain, arthritis, skin rash, reduced thyroid activity, and decreased IQ. Perhaps the most common disorder that results from too much absorption of fluoride is dental fluorosis, which creates stained, mottled, brittle teeth. (http://www.fluoridealert.org). While fluoride can do something to prevent tooth decay, it provides the greatest benefit when it is in direct contact with the teeth, not when it is ingested. The United States and Canada have been slow to discover what Europe has already learned about water fluoridation. Most Western European countries have rejected this procedure, including: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland (http://www.fluoridealert.org).
The American Dental Association (ADA) is a major proponent of fluoridated water,
(although increasingly dentists are renouncing this practice) however even the ADA has admitted that it is unsafe for infants to drink formula mixed with fluoridated water. Babies have a greater risk of developing dental fluorosis, and the U.S. National Research Council reports that fluoride can interfere with the functions of the brain (http://www.fluoridealert.org).
Should people stop drinking fluoridated water? Absolutely! “Is it really that bad?” Yes!
Fluoridation has been easy for the public to ignore, because most people don’t experience the
negative side effects immediately. They might drink a glass of water and say, “I feel fine.” just as a smoker might light up and say, “That didn’t hurt me.” Over time fluoride builds up deposits in the bones. Young adults who don’t care today, will pay dearly tomorrow.
The growing number of Americans who don’t want fluoride in their water have been
greatly imposed upon. Standard water filtration systems, such as Brita, cannot eliminate fluoride from water. Only expensive reverse-osmosis or activated alumina filters will effectively remove fluoride. It is relatively easy for those who want to take fluoride internally to swallow a tablet, or otherwise add it to their water, but families who don’t want fluoride have to purchase a costly filter, or buy all their drinking and cooking water. That still doesn’t keep fluoride from invading them at local restaurants, or public drinking fountains, and they still have to shower and water their lawn and garden with the chemical.
When it comes to something as basic and necessary as water, people should not be forced to have an additive in the water that comes into their home. The Past President of the American Medical Association, Dr. Charles Heyd said, “I am appalled at the prospect of using water as a
vehicle for drugs. Fluoride is a corrosive poison that will produce serious effects on a long range
basis. Any attempt to use water this way is deplorable” (http://www.apfn.org/apfn/fluoride-expert.htm).
Those who value their own health and rights can begin today to reduce or eliminate their
consumption of fluoridated water. Those who value the health and rights of their family,
friends, and neighbors can inform them of the danger that exists each time they turn on the
faucet, or fix a bottle for their baby. It’s also time to let local and national representatives know
that this is an important issue for the 170 million Americans who are subjected to fluoridated water. The risks immensely exceed any possible benefits, and forcing fluoridation on the
American public violates medical ethics and denies freedom of choice.