Talking fluoridation

True: Fluoridation has been around for 75 years. Just because it’s been around for 75 years doesn’t make it safe. We thought that lead in our pipes and mercury in our teeth were safe, but that didn’t work out so well.

True: The scientific fact that water fluoridation is safe has never actually been tested under oath in a court of law until now. Testimony in this recent case was by expert scientists, not by a judge – judges are attorneys that rule on scientific evidence. They are not scientists. In this historic seven-year case tried in federal court in San Francisco (not county court), Judge Chen ruled that the scientific basis that has been used for more than 75 years to justify water fluoridation as safe was finally proven to be false. This is a big deal and should not be treated lightly. In this case, fluoridation was shown to reduce children’s IQ levels. Every .28 Mg/L of fluoride in pregnant mother’s urine = 1 point of IQ loss in children. This is highly concerning, because maternal urinary fluoride levels for pregnant mothers in the United States range from 0.8 mg/L at the median to 1.89 mg/L depending upon the degree of exposure. These exposure levels put children over the toxic limit.

True: Dental fluorosis (discoloring of the teeth) indicates toxic levels of fluoride have been consumed. When Clean Water Durango got the removal of water fluoridation on the ballot in 2017, dental fluorosis was at 40%. Today, it is at 63% in children. 

True: 75 years ago, water fluoridation was the only source of fluoride to which the population of the U.S. was exposed. Today, that has changed dramatically. Today fluoride is contained in all processed food and drinks (made with fluoridated water), dental treatments, teas, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is in our air, our food and our drinks. It is in our water without our consent. It is everywhere. Fluoride is an industrial waste and is nearly impossible to get rid of.

True: A recent scientific mega study done by the esteemed Cochran Scientific Review found that because people in the U.S. are getting so much fluoride from so many different sources, the effectiveness of water fluoridation is now 0% for adults and 4% or less for children. This negligible protection in tooth decay is certainly not worth the consequences to brain health. These are the scientific experts! 

True: 85% of Europe does not fluoridate its water and has the same or better dental health levels than the U.S.

True: Cavities come from inside out, not outside in. Cavities are caused by eating too many refined and super refined processed foods and drinks, especially sugar. The average American consumes 23 teaspoons of sugar per day. A typical sweetened beverage contains 15-18 teaspoons of sugar, and we consume eight 12-oz. cans of these sugar bombs every week. This is the cause of tooth decay, not a lack of fluoride. Poor dental health is also a contributor. 

False: The fluoride we use in Durango and throughout the U.S. is natural. The fluoride used throughout most of our country is hydrofluorosalicic acid. This is a toxic, unpurified waste product from fertilizer manufacturing plants that goes directly into our water supply. It is not natural. In Durango, we use a special kind of fluoride: sodium fluoride. We import this special fluoride from China. It is the toxic waste product from aluminum manufacturing proven to contain fluoride, lead and mercury. The extra special part is that sodium fluoride is a salt, of which we absorb over 90%. This is much more absorption than the toxins absorbed from fertilizer plants. Fluoride reduces IQ levels. It has also been documented to cause thyroid problems, brittle bones and more. 

True: Naturally occurring fluoride is difficult to absorb as it is bound to calcium. 

True: The fluoride used in water fluoridation is not pharmaceutical grade. It is a toxic waste product that manufacturers would have to pay a pretty price to dispose of. Instead, they talked Americans into putting it in our drinking water and paying for it.

Our bodies are composed of 70% water. The purer the water we drink, the better our health will be. Time to take the fluoride out!

– Jim Forleo, Durango