Photo by geray
We’ve talked about some of the issues with sodium fluoride in the past and unfortunately, it is still a large concern today. Ironically enough, my hometown- Grand Rapids, MI – was the first city in the world to add fluoride to drinking water back in 1945. Some speculate that because of this pioneering move, despite the many negative impacts showing up from fluoride, it will probably also be the last city to ever remove it.
Although fluoride in the water supply is certainly prevalent, as you might guess, it’s not the only way you can come into contact with it. As mentioned in our previous post, fluoride can be found in many foods (such as soups, cereals, meat, juices, etc.) as water is often used for processing.
Of course, fruits and vegetables grown with fluorinated water also can contain fluoride. This is another reason that purchasing at local farmers markets is best (since you can actually talk with the farmer and find out lots about the food production) instead of relying on food grown far away.
Unfortunately, fluoride is not something that the body can easily eliminate. According to Healthy Child, half of the fluoride taken in during a day will remain in the body as healthy kidneys can only get rid of about 50%. The rest is stored in bones and teeth. This can lead to fluoride poisoning (symptoms here) especially for individuals with lesser kidney function (such as children, the elderly, and others). Skeletal fluorosis (or build-up of fluoride in bones) is also a major concern as it makes bones brittle and weak.
What actually came as the biggest shock to me though is that Organic Health reports fluoride as a toxic sedative that Nazi and Soviet death camps actually gave it to prisoners to calm them and make them easier to handle. Terrifying, right, that it could even affect our demeanor? They also note a listing from the Natural Health and Longevity Resource Center where all sorts of facts and effects of fluoride are provided.
Some of the effects are stated to include inhibiting antibody formation in blood, depressing thyroid activity, causing premature aging, promoting bone cancer, disrupting tissues, confusing the immune system to attack its own body, and breaking down of collagen in bones and more.
Another effect worth mentioning is the negative effect fluoride has on IQ levels. One particular study concluded that “the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of children living in areas with a medium or severe prevalence of fluorosis was lower than that of children living in areas with only slight fluorosis or no fluorosis”. In addition, another source links fluoride in drinking water to an increase of lead in the blood levels of children.
Infants are no exception and are at risk for extreme exposure as well. Scarily enough, babies drinking formula with fluorinated water ingest the absolute highest dosage of any other age groups (and they have the smallest systems process it!). Breast-fed infants, on the other hand, receive the smallest dosage. It’s important to be aware that even some bottled water may contain fluoride not listed on the label and contacting the company for verification may be a good idea.
Natural News actually refers to fluorinated water as “mass medication” and they have a detailed video on where fluoride comes from (actually being a toxic waste product and possibly containing other heavy metals) and how it is put into our drinking water if you want further background information and have time to watch it (about 12 minutes).
What I especially don’t like about fluoride is that it’s not really something we can decide for ourselves (depending on where we live). It’s simply added to the water supply and we have to choose to drink or filter it.
What are your thoughts about fluoride in food and water? Do you take any steps to avoid it?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What are your thoughts about fluoride in food and water? Do you take any steps to avoid it?
I have recently taken steps to avoid fluoride in food and water due to the fact that my daughter was diagnosed with a rare bone disease called XLH. I recently learned that fluoride can have an affect on your bones and kidneys. Her disease has to do with her kidneys not working as they should causing her to waste the things her bones need. Once I read that Flouride can affect both of those things in the body. I knew my family needed to change what we put in to our bodies. I don’t want my daughters disease to be worse than it has to be due to fluoride.
Hi Rachel. It is certainly something that I’m not thrilled about. Yes, it’s said to be very important for teeth, but I have heard of a lot of detrimental effects as well that seem to get ignored. I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s disease. Although I haven’t specifically worked to eliminate it, at my old house we had a reverse osmosis system which gets out fluoride. However, it’s important to add minerals back in because it takes those out, too. Otherwise, I use Desert Essence mint toothpaste that does not contain fluoride, either. You could also shop at a farmer’s market for produce and inquire as to what time of water is used for their crops. I’m sorry I don’t have more info on this, but I hope it helps a little!