AMESBURY, Mass. –Fluoride is added to the water most of us drink because the government believes it’s a safe and inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay. However, Team 5 Investigates found the Amesbury Water Department pulled fluoride from its system amid concerns about its supply from China. Department of Public Works Director Rob Desmarais said after he mixes the white powder with water, 40 percent of it will not dissolve.
“I don’t know what it is,” Desmarais said. “It’s not soluble, and it doesn’t appear to be sodium fluoride. So we are not quite sure what it is.” Desmarais said the residue clogs his machines and makes it difficult to get a consistent level of fluoride in the town’s water. Since April the fluoride pumps in Amesbury have been turned off and they will stay that way until Desmarais can find out what’s in the fluoride that’s imported from China. Both state and federal health officials told Team 5 Investigates that Chinese fluoride is safe.
The Department of Public Health said it believes that more than 650,000 customers in 44 Massachusetts communities are getting the flouride in question and only Amesbury has temporarily stopped using it. Approximately 1,000 water systems in the United States use the additive to adjust the fluoride in their water supply, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Since 2007, most of the sodium fluoride has been imported from China because it’s the least expensive on the market. “I don’t think that when it comes to something that I ingest every day that the lowest bidder is good enough,” Stewart said. Testing continues to determine the precise composition of the residue.
If the government says it’s safe that’s good enough for me, how about you?
So many misconceptions, …
As used, fluoride in water is safe.
Fluoride treated water does help to reduce tooth decay.
Fluoridated water is more efficient at reducing cavities than fluoridated toothpaste alone. Together they are a large improvement.
Powders are safer to handle than liquids. Especially gases as highly reactive as fluorine.
Gases held in powder form often have inert residues.
This is wrong, misleading, BS. Fluoride is poison.
The National Academy of Sciences did a thorough review on fluoride in 2006. They documented numerous deleterious effects of fluoride on many organ systems including increased potential risk for bone fractures (the well characterized disease of skeletal fluorosis) possibly increased risk of osteosarcoma, reduced IQ, thyroid dysfunction, endocrine dysfunction and others all 300 pages is online if anyone cares to confirm it. Of course don’t forget fluoride induced dental fluorsosis (i.e. teeth mottling and a sign of toxic exposure to fluoride) They ended with recommending that the EPA should more strictly regulate fluoride. Their findings mirror those in the peer-reviewed medical literature, while Harvard trained toxicologist Phyllis Mullenix also extensively documented behavioral changes in mice upon exposure to blood levels of fluoride not far greater than those experienced through water fluoridation and other sources of exposure. Former, well credentialed EPA scientists have been fired for bucking the political line on this issue. Meanwhile 90% of the fluoride placed into our water supply is not industrial grade sodium fluoride, it is silicofluorides, quite simply, scraped from the sides of Florida phosphate plant smokestacks. If it weren’t thrown into the water supply it would have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. You can read more on this starting here http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/2009/11/water-fluoridation-part-i.html if you suspect I am just making this all up.
One wierd irony about toothpastes…
Fluouride in toothpaste does not soak into your teeth. The only way you get the fluoride from the toothpaste is by swallowing small amounts of it. Thats why the label tells you to not swallow or eat it, because you should only ingest small amounts while brushing as an incidental effect of rinsing your mouth.
One interesting thing: Its very likely your children are intentionally swallowing the toothpaste after they brush because most don’t know better to spit it out.