Fluoride: Another Toxic Chemical Labeled “Safe” Due to Corporate Bribery

Editor’s Note: This is a compilation of a series of articles about fluoride written by two medical and dental professionals, Dr. Jack Kall and Dr. Griffin Cole, two members of the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology (IAOMT) which is an international consortium of dentists and medical professionals who are against the use of mercury amalgam fillings as well as fluoride in dental medicine. These articles were derived from the IAOMT website’s “Fluoride Facts” section.

It is also worth noting that the US government recently censored their own study proving the neurotoxicity of fluoride, but was forced to release it after pressure from the scientific community and general public. It is not science that has led to the designation of fluoride as “safe” to consume, but rather a powerful corporate lobby that seeks to profit off of this industrial waste byproduct regardless of its harm to human health.

Since the 1940s, an array of products containing fluoride have been introduced to the average consumer. These sources of fluoride can contribute to human health risks.

Some products that may contain added fluoride and contribute to human health risks include the following:

Click this link to see a detailed chart of fluoride sources.

Examples of Human Health Risks Associated with Fluoride

The potential health risks generated from exposure to these sources of fluoride are often overlooked. Additionally, age, gender, genetic factors, nutritional status, weight, and other factors are known to influence each person’s unique reaction to fluoride.

For example, children’s exposure to fluoride is extremely important to consider, and this issue was made evident in recent news about a study linking fluoride exposure in utero with lower IQs. As another example, fluoride was recently identified as one of 12 industrial chemicals known to cause developmental neurotoxicity in humans.

This chart includes some of the specific human health risks associated with fluoride:

Dental Fluorosis: A Warning Signal of Human Health Risks and Fluoride

Exposure to excess fluoride can result in dental fluorosis, a condition in which the teeth enamel becomes irreversibly damaged. Additionally, the teeth become permanently discolored, displaying a white or brown mottling pattern and forming brittle teeth that break and stain easily.

Dental fluorosis is recognized as the first visible sign of fluoride toxicity. It is likewise a warning signal of the human health risks associated with fluoride exposure. According to 2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 23% of Americans aged 6-49 and 41% of children aged 12-15 exhibit fluorosis to some degree. An assessment of the CDC’s data further demonstrates that 58% of children aged 6-19 have fluorosis.

Increased sources of fluoride exposure are accompanied by increased human health risks. Therefore, it has become a necessity to reduce and work toward eliminating avoidable sources of fluoride exposure, including water fluoridation, fluoride-containing dental materials, and other fluoridated products.

Concerns have been raised about fluoride’s lack of safety and efficacy.

Sources of human exposure to the chemical fluoride have drastically increased since community water fluoridation began in the U.S. in the 1940’s. In addition to water, these sources now include food, air, soil, pesticides, fertilizers, dental products used at home and in the dental office, pharmaceutical drugs, cookware (non-stick Teflon), clothing, carpeting, and an array of other consumer items used on a regular basis. Click here to see a detailed list of sources of fluoride exposure.

Exposure to fluoride is suspected of impacting every part of the human body. Susceptible subpopulations, such as infants, children, and individuals with diabetes or renal problems, are known to be more severely impacted by intake of fluoride.

A lack of efficacy, lack of evidence, and lack of ethics are apparent in the current status quo of fluoride usage. These circumstances clearly demonstrate that there is an alarming lack of safety for the numerous applications of the chemical fluoride in commonly used products.

Signs of the Lack of Safety for this Chemical

First, it should also be noted that fluoride is not an essential component for human growth and development. Second, fluoride has been recognized as one of 12 industrial chemicals known to cause developmental neurotoxicity in human beings. Third, some researchers have questioned the safety of fluoride.

Additionally, this chemical’s effectiveness in preventing tooth decay when it is ingested (such as through a water source) has been challenged. In fact, reports show that as industrialized countries were developing, decay rates in the general population rose to a peak of four to eight decayed, missing, or filled teeth (in the 1960’s). Then, reports show a dramatic decrease (down to today’s levels), regardless of fluoride use.

Controversy has also arisen over industrial ties to the chemical fluoride. Safety advocates for fluoride exposures have questioned if such industrial ties are ethical and if the industrial connections to these chemicals might result in a cover-up of the health effects caused by fluoride exposures.

Conclusion on Fluoride’s Lack of Safety: A Dangerous Chemical

Based on fluoride’s lack of safety for this chemical, informed consumer consent is needed for all uses of fluoride. This pertains to water fluoridation, as well as all dental-based products, whether administered at home or in the dental office.

In addition to the imperative need for informed consumer consent, education about this chemical is likewise essential. Providing education about fluoride risks and fluoride toxicity to medical and dental professionals, medical and dental students, consumers, and policy makers is crucial to improving the safety of public health.

There are fluoride-free strategies in which to prevent dental caries.  Given the current levels of exposure, policies should reduce and work toward eliminating avoidable sources of fluoride, including water fluoridation, fluoride-containing dental materials, and other fluoridated products, as means to promote dental and overall health.

Four Easy Ways to Avoid Fluoride

Step 1: Know Your Sources

The first step in avoiding fluoride is to know your sources of it! In addition to water, these sources now include food, beverages, pesticides, fertilizers, dental products used at home and in the dental office, pharmaceutical drugs, cookware (non-stick Teflon), clothing, carpeting, and an array of other consumer items used on a regular basis.

Click here for a detailed list of fluoride sources: You might be surprised at some of the items!

Step 2: Demand Labels and Accurate Informed Consumer Consent

Consumers wishing to avoid fluoride cannot count on labeling, as some products do not contain fluoride information.

A major issue in the U.S. is that consumers are not aware of the fluoride added to hundreds of products they routinely use. Some citizens do not even know that fluoride is added to their community drinking water, and because there are no food or bottled water labels, consumers are likewise not aware of those sources of fluoride. These scenarios make it difficult to avoid fluoride, but if more people demand freedom of water choice and better labeling on products, this storyline might change.

While toothpaste and other over-the-counter dental products include disclosure of fluoride contents and warning labels, the information is often in small font and difficult to read. Materials used at the dental office provide even less consumer awareness as informed consent is generally not practiced, and the presence and risks of fluoride in dental materials is, in many instances, never mentioned to the patient. Again, if more people demand better labeling and informed consumer consent, this could change.

Step 3: Change Your Habits

The third step to avoid fluoride is to make lifestyle changes. Although informed consumer consent and more informative product labels would contribute to increasing patient awareness about fluoride intake, consumers also need to take a more active role in preventing cavities. Better diet, improved oral health practices, and other measures would assist in reducing tooth decay, as well as many other ailments.

Other habits also need to change in order to avoid unnecessary fluoride exposure. For example, certain foods and beverages (any and all made with fluoridated water, including bottled water, tea, juice, soft drinks, and even beer and wine) will need to be replaced with healthier options. This is especially important to consider in the case of infants drinking formula made with fluoridated tap water. Using a non-fluoridated bottled water for infant formula would drastically reduce dangerous levels of fluoride. Click here to visit a database about fluoride levels in food and beverages, and be sure to look at pages 12-26.

Also, some consumers opt to purchase special water filters to remove fluoride from their water. It is important to carefully research water filters, as many do not successfully remove fluoride. The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) has helpful resources for consumers wanting to avoid fluoride exposure. Click here to visit FAN’s page on this topic.

Step 4: Change the World!

Finally, in addition to changing your own life, you might also want to get involved by taking action to stop fluoridation in your community, country, and the even the world at large. Since the decision to fluoridate community water is made by the state or local municipality, your role as a citizen in your community is crucial to helping your region avoid fluoride.

If you are working to stop fluoride in your community and would like to provide public officials with information from the IAOMT, click here to download a PDF letter (must save to computer/device to insert a date).  The IAOMT also welcomes you to print any of the fluoride materials on this website to share with others. Click here to view all of the IAOMT’s resources on fluoride.

Importantly, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) has a tool kit for consumers to get involved in ending fluoridation. Click here to visit FAN’s Take Action page.

Editor’s Note: As far as alternatives to fluoride toothpaste are concerned, there are many brands that produce fluoride-free toothpaste around the world, with the US and Europe being among the top producers. However, a major Russian toothpaste producer Splat produces a wide variety of fluoride-free, natural toothpastes. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, several small brands produce fluoride-free toothpaste, some using recipes based on traditional herbal medicine and being 100% herbal-based and can be found easily on online shopping websites like Basalam. Due to the benefits of the miswak tree that has been traditionally used as a natural toothbrush in the Islamic world, some makers take the powder of the miswak tree and mix it into their herbal toothpaste blend.

For those who cannot afford or cannot find premade toothpaste brands, it is not hard to make your own. Natural ingredients that promote oral health include: salt, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), honey, and coconut oil, along with a few drops of mint essential oil for flavor (avoid too much, as pure essential oil can be irritating if undiluted). Instructions on how to make homemade baking soda toothpaste are available at Wikihow.